TRYMBPIETM 51: Mirror, Night, Snow Peak (14)

Chi Qingzhou patted Xing Shuangzhan’s shoulder, signaling him to let go of himself, intending to go with Luo Ting to see what was going on.

Xing Shuangzhan still had a smile on his lips, but his tone was meaningful: “You don’t want to be seen with me? “

Chi Qingzhou turned his head and noticed the deep gaze of Xing Shuangzhan. He immediately nuzzled his cheek against him, one hand covering his eyes, and whispered ambiguously by his ear, “Brother Su is the best.”

Chi Qingzhou was so close that his breath blew directly onto Xing Shuangzhan’s ear when he spoke.

The hand blocking his eyes seemed to have some kind of magic; in the moment his vision went dark, all his senses were magnified.

Xing Shuangzhan’s gaze deepened.

He gently pulled Chi Qingzhou’s hand away, his eyes lingering on the corner of his lips for a moment before he chuckled lowly.

“Little rascal.”

Chi Qingzhou’s eyes curved into a smile. Seizing the opportunity while Xing Shuangzhan wasn’t prepared, he quickly bit his earlobe.

Xing Shuangzhan’s muscles tensed up.

But Chi Qingzhou had a victorious expression on his face as he swiftly broke free from his embrace and strode toward Luo Ting.

“Ah Ting, Ah Ting, let’s hurry over!”

Xing Shuangzhan looked up at Chi Qingzhou’s back and laughed again but didn’t move.

Luo Ting, who had been watching the whole time, couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Xing Shuangzhan.

He grabbed Chi Qingzhou and turned to walk toward the changing room.

Xing Shuangzhan paid no attention.

He stood there for a moment before slowly walking behind Chi Qingzhou, merging into the long shadow cast by the light.

The world darkened.

Xing Shuangzhan raised his hand to touch his earlobe.

Very well, last time it was his Adam’s apple, and this time it was his earlobe.

He moved his mouth but wouldn’t take responsibility.

One day, the little rascal would learn the difference between right and wrong.

……

Chi Qingzhou and Luo Ting arrived near the changing room, where Xue Jinshi had been at a standstill with Luo Huaiyu for quite a while.

The changing room was dark, and Xue Jinshi was sitting on the bench, too exhausted to stand up.

He had been scared senseless by the Luo’s family earlier, but now, in contrast, he was stubbornly enduring Luo Huaiyu’s scrutiny, seemingly indifferent, as if he had already accepted the worst.

He repeated what he had said earlier: “Stop asking, I don’t want to say anything.”

Luo Huaiyu stood with his family at the door. Under the moonlight, his face was pale, and his expression was a bit unpleasant.

Chi Qingzhou stopped and looked around, puzzled, before asking, “Mr. Xue, Ah Yu, what are you talking about?”

Luo Huaiyu opened his mouth to respond, but Xue Jinshi’s eyes lit up first.

He didn’t know where he found the strength, but suddenly, he stood up from the bench and took two steps forward, excitedly saying, “Mr. Chi!”

Chi Qingzhou turned to look.

Xue Jinshi asked directly, “Aren’t we going back to the villa? Director Hu and the others should still be waiting for us.”

Chi Qingzhou replied, “We’ll go back later.”

Xue Jinshi nodded.

Seeing that he had nothing else to say, Chi Qingzhou was about to turn to speak to Luo Huaiyu, but Xue Jinshi suddenly spoke up.

“Well…” He awkwardly lowered his head, his voice getting softer, “Earlier… well, thank you.”

By the end, his voice was so soft it was almost a mumble.

Fortunately, Chi Qingzhou’s senses were sharp enough to catch his words.

Chi Qingzhou smiled at him, “No need to thank me.”

Xue Jinshi didn’t say anything more.

Chi Qingzhou waited a moment, and seeing that he really had nothing else to say, he finally turned his attention to Luo Huaiyu.

Luo Huaiyu said, “I don’t know what happened either. I was just planning to ask him. My father told me that they were originally following Sheng Yihang’s aura, but when they reached the villa on the northernmost side of the mountain lodge, they suddenly couldn’t control themselves and ended up following him here.”

Most of the walking corpes are driven by resentment, seeking revenge is their instinct, and they will go to great lengths to find their enemies.

If they can track the aura of their enemy, they would pay no attention to anyone else.

Even though Sheng Yihang was nearby, his family completely ignored him, which was unusual.

Luo Huaiyu couldn’t help but worry, but after checking, he found that neither his family nor Xue Jinshi seemed to have any issues.

Luo Huaiyu said, “My parents and sister are all fine, and this person is clean too, no traces of Sheng Yihang’s death aura on him.”

From life to death, he had never encountered such a situation, so he had to ask Xue Jinshi.

Luo Huaiyu continued, “But he seems to have some misunderstandings about us and refuses to talk to us.”

“Ah, I see.”

Chi Qingzhou nodded.

Xue Jinshi, who had been stunned earlier, suddenly realized something when he saw Chi Qingzhou’s movements.

He exclaimed in surprise, “Wait a minute, you know each other?!”

Chi Qingzhou: “?” He looked at Xue Jinshi in confusion. “Ah Yu is my friend.”

Xue Jinshi’s scalp tingled as he stammered, pointing at Luo Huaiyu, “Your friend is this, this—” Something that isn’t even human?!

He was so shocked that he couldn’t finish his sentence, and the last few words got swallowed back into his stomach.

Chi Qingzhou didn’t understand his real meaning and kindly suggested, “A walking corpse, Ah Yu is a walking corpse.”

What’s with the walking corpses? Was that what he meant?

Xue Jinshi’s limbs began to feel weak again, and he even wondered if these people had been sent by Chi Qingzhou to mess with him.

After all, he had just had a conflict with Chi Qingzhou earlier that day.

But then he quickly remembered the other two people blocking the door and discarded that thought.

Xue Jinshi glanced at Chi Qingzhou, who remained expressionless, and finally, he fully believed the rumors he had once heard.

Rather than Chi Qingzhou being an actor, he might as well be a cultivator who infiltrated the entertainment industry!

This guess gave him a huge sense of security, and his tensed back relaxed immediately.

After the fear dissipated, a heavy sense of awkwardness and weakness made Xue Jinshi uncomfortable again.

He couldn’t help but glance sideways at the corner of the cabinet, feeling a bit guilty and unable to keep up appearances.

He didn’t want to be asked why he was there, and he didn’t want Chi Qingzhou to find out what he had done. When Luo Huaiyu asked him again, he stubbornly said he wanted to return to the villa.

“I don’t want to say it here. If you really want to know something, ask me when we get back to the villa.”

Luo Ting furrowed his brows but hadn’t spoken yet when Chi Qingzhou’s phone suddenly rang.

Chi Qingzhou gestured to everyone and answered the call, “Hello?”

“Mr. Chi, I saw that the live stream is blacked out,” Director Hu’s voice came from the phone. “Is Mr. Xue okay now?”

Chi Qingzhou didn’t have the speakerphone on, but at this time, there was no one else around the small square besides them, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

Director Hu’s voice sounded exceptionally loud in the silence, surprising everyone.

A live stream?

What live stream?

Had it still been live streaming just now?

The group exchanged confused glances, but Xue Jinshi was the first to react.

He exclaimed in shock, “It was still live streaming? Impossible! There’s no live streaming equipment around here, and there’s no one filming us!”

Chi Qingzhou looked somewhat innocent as he replied, “It should have been on. When I came back, Director Hu called me for help.”

Was it really on?!

Xue Jinshi felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he nervously looked around, his face turning pale.

He repeatedly said, “But there’s no live streaming equipment around here, how could the live stream still be on?”

Chi Qingzhou answered gently and patiently, “During the last variety show filming, there was a time when the crew didn’t have live streaming equipment on, but the live stream was still on.”

Xue Jinshi felt like he couldn’t breathe.

So this was normal for the crew?

What kind of bizarre variety show was this?!

He wanted to say something, but suddenly remembered the risk-taking agreement he signed before joining the variety show, and his already pale face turned completely white.

No wonder the crew insisted they sign a life-and-death agreement before—it really was dangerous filming this show!

He staggered a few steps, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Chi Qingzhou promptly supported him and comforted him, “It’s fine, the live stream is still very safe, there’s nothing bad about it.”

Xue Jinshi was speechless, looking at Chi Qingzhou as if he were a madman.

A live stream that could be turned on without equipment or a filming crew—how could that be considered safe?!

Even if the live stream wasn’t due to something malicious, it still didn’t make sense.

Luo Ting and Luo Huaiyu hadn’t encountered such a situation before, but since techniques like the “Circle Light” or “Water Screen,” exist they were only slightly surprised and didn’t think too much about it.

Seeing that Xue Jinshi was so scared he looked like he was about to faint, Luo Ting kindly explained to him.

Xue Jinshi hadn’t expected Luo Ting was also a cultivator. He stood there in a daze for a moment but quickly accepted the explanation.

Although using magic in a variety show was strange, it was easier to accept than the idea of being filmed by something maliciousn.

Chi Qingzhou gave a pure smile, neither confirming nor denying Luo Ting’s explanation, and just responded to Director Hu with a couple of sentences.

As Xue Jinshi listened to their exchange, his mind began to turn. He suddenly realized something.

He had sneaked away thinking no one would know.

But if the live stream had been on the whole time, then his actions earlier…?

Just thinking about what could have happened made Xue Jinshi’s scalp tingle, and his whole body froze, as stiff as a stone.

He slowly turned his head, staring at Chi Qingzhou, who was still speaking to Director Hu, and with difficulty, he asked, “Wait, wait. If the live stream was on, when… when did it start?”

Chi Qingzhou moved the phone a little and answered patiently, “Hmm, I remember the director said it started when Mr. Xue left the villa.”

Xue Jinshi’s breath caught, his eyes starting to glaze over.

He stammered, “Then, then… when did it… end?”

This was something Chi Qingzhou didn’t know.

He asked Director Hu on Xue Jinshi’s behalf and kindly switched the phone to speaker mode so that Xue Jinshi could hear Director Hu’s reply.

Director Hu’s loud voice came from the phone.

“Ha, it ended when Teacher Chi arrived at the roof of the building opposite Teacher Xue’s. Before that, we were keeping an eye on Teacher Xue’s actions, and once you arrived, the live stream cut off immediately. We didn’t know what was happening over there, so we didn’t dare call, afraid it might interfere with your performance.”

Chi Qingzhou responded with a few words like “Everything is fine here” and “I’ll be back to the villa soon,” but Xue Jinshi stared blankly at him, unable to process a single word.

Only one thought echoed in his mind.

They all saw it.

The production team saw it, the audience saw it, the fans saw it too.

They saw him throwing the skincare products.

Xue Jinshi’s lips moved, trying to say something, but no words came to mind.

His brain had completely frozen.

The immense embarrassment and awkwardness overwhelmed him, and his face turned red, feeling disoriented.

He didn’t even know how he left the changing room or how he ended up back at the villa with Chi Qingzhou and the others.

When he finally snapped back from the shame, he realized he was already standing at the villa’s door.

…

Chi Qingzhou didn’t just take Xue Jinshi back to the villa; he also brought his friends along.

At first, he planned to handle Ah Yu’s matters before heading back, but the director and other guests were a bit scared and didn’t want to stay in the villa alone, repeatedly urging him to hurry back.

Chi Qingzhou hesitated and said, “But I have two friends here, it’s not very convenient.”

“Friends?” The director repeated the word and suddenly became excited, loudly saying, “Teacher Chi’s friends are here? Then bring them to the villa! We welcome Teacher Chi’s friends!”

Chi Qingzhou vaguely felt that the director might have misunderstood something and reminded him, “It’s not just my friends, my friends’ family is also here. They’re a bit special, so not everyone might be comfortable.”

The director, understanding that experts tend to be proud, quickly said, “No problem, no problem, I’ll make sure the staff behaves!”

The other guests also urged, “Teacher Chi, hurry back, it’s so late, the wind outside is strong, you might catch a cold.”

With everyone saying this, Chi Qingzhou couldn’t refuse. He reminded them again that his friends were special, then led everyone toward the villa.

There was no objection to Chi Qingzhou’s decision.

Luo Ting and Luo Huaiyu didn’t care much about others’ opinions, and Xue Jinshi was still stuck in embarrassment. As for the three members of the Luo family…

Before Chi Qingzhou arrived, they were somewhat out of control. Luo Huaiyu almost couldn’t stop them. It was only after bringing up Chi Qingzhou and his “disappeared friends” that they calmed down.

However, Luo Huaiyu might have frightened them a little too much. Now, whenever they saw Chi Qingzhou, their thoughts only seemed to revolve around “be friendly and peaceful, or your head will be twisted off.”

They remembered the earlier conflict with Xue Jinshi and felt a little nervous.

It wasn’t intentional, they just couldn’t control themselves. Besides, they had previously protected a young person living in the villa, so they hoped that would make up for it… probably?

Chi Qingzhou found their intense stares a bit strange. When he glanced back, the three quickly diverted their eyes, as if nothing had happened.

He tilted his head in confusion, not understanding the situation, then quickly turned his attention back to the villa door.

The director and Shen Wenxing had been waiting at the door for a while. After confirming it was Chi Qingzhou through the peephole, they opened the door without him having to knock.

“Teacher Chi, you’re finally back! I—”

Mid-sentence, the director suddenly froze when he saw the group of “people” behind Chi Qingzhou, his enthusiastic expression freezing.

He instinctively shivered, his mouth hanging open.

Shen Wenxing, blocked by the director, saw him freeze and had no choice but to push him aside and look out the door.

What caught his eyes first were Chi Qingzhou, followed by four pale, zombie-like faces. He was so startled that his fingers trembled, and instinctively, he pulled out a talisman, aiming to strike at Luo Huaiyu’s family.

Luo Ting noticed his movement and immediately stopped him. “Wait, they’re not bad people!”

Shen Wenxing paused, then noticed the “zombies” were followed by a corpse herder.

He awkwardly retracted his hand and tried to make small talk. “So, these zombies are your friends? Seems like you’re quite skilled. Why didn’t you bring along a couple of regular zombies?”

Luo Ting glanced at him. “A cultivator? These aren’t the zombies I control.”

There was a faction of corpse herders in the community who used zombies to guard their grounds, so it wasn’t surprising Shen Wenxing misunderstood.

Chi Qingzhou corrected him. “Ah Yu and Ah Ting are my friends.”

The director, still stunned, was once again left dumbfounded by Chi Qingzhou’s statement.

“Friends? These are the friends you mentioned?”

Chi Qingzhou nodded confidently. “Yes, I said my friends are a bit special.”

The director: “…”

This is ‘a bit’ special? These aren’t even human!

Shen Wenxing was greatly shocked. “You’re friends with zombies?!”

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head, not quite understanding. “What’s wrong with that? Ah Yu is enthusiastic and friendly, a really good friend.”

Shen Wenxing: “…”

He had no words.

As an outer disciple of the Xuanxu Sect, Shen Wenxing had seen many cultivators who used zombies, but he had never seen someone like Chi Qingzhou who actually befriended zombies.

For a moment, his gaze toward Chi Qingzhou became very strange.

The director and Shen Wenxing were both frozen at the door, and the other guests, who had been waiting anxiously for them to return, were worried something had happened. They peeked over to check the situation.

Because the door was blocked by Shen Wenxing and the director, the guests hadn’t yet seen the four zombies. Only Xu Xinxin, with her sharp instincts, felt uneasy.

When they finally got close to the door and made eye contact with Luo Huaiyu’s family, they immediately screamed.

Shen Wenxing, head throbbing from the noise, looked at the equally helpless director and had no choice but to explain the situation.

When the guests heard the zombies were Chi Qingzhou’s friends, although they were a bit conflicted, they stopped screaming right away.

Their expressions were complicated. They couldn’t really understand Chi Qingzhou’s standards for friendship, but they no longer worried about their safety.

Since they were Chi Qingzhou’s friends, they surely wouldn’t pose a threat!

The guests tried to show friendliness, flashing smiles at Luo Huaiyu’s family.

Remembering Luo Huaiyu’s earlier comments, the Luo family tried to reciprocate with a forced smile and a wave, but it nearly scared the guests into crying.

The guests realized they couldn’t treat them like normal people in such a short time, so after a dry greeting, they tried to avoid further contact.

However, Luo Huaiyu spoke up and called them back.

“You all have the Sheng Yihang”s aura on you,” he said. “Have you seen Sheng Yihang before?”

The guests paused, exchanging confused glances. Who was Sheng Yihang?

Chi Qingzhou, sensing the atmosphere, took a moment to feel the energy around them. He realized the guests, who had been clean when he left, now carried Sheng Yihang’s death aura, which made him frown.

“Sheng Yihang was here?”

The guests looked at Chi Qingzhou’s expression, feeling uneasy. Hearing this, they panicked.

They looked at Chi Qingzhou, unsure what to do.

Luo Huaiyu’s sister, who had been searching through the crowd, grabbed Luo Huaiyu’s sleeve and said a few words to him in a language only zombies could understand.

Chi Qingzhou looked at Luo Huaiyu, who nodded after listening to his sister, then scanned the crowd.

“Who is Chi Qingning?”

Everyone’s attention immediately turned to Chi Qingning.

Chi Qingning froze, a bad premonition rising in his chest.

He swallowed nervously and stepped forward from the crowd, softly saying, “I am, is something wrong?”

Luo Huaiyu said, “My sister says that Sheng Yihang and his accomplices were here before, intending to harm you, but they were stopped.”

Chi Qingning was both shocked and confused. “Harm me? But I don’t even know anyone named Sheng Yihang.”

Luo Huaiyu didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, “Is Chi Xiaoyuan your older brother?”

Chi Qingning nodded. “Yes.”

Luo Huaiyu said, “Sheng Yihang’s accomplices said that your brother wanted you to forget certain things you shouldn’t know, and if you couldn’t, he wanted you to stay silent forever.”

Chi Qingning’s premonition turned out to be true. He froze, his voice rising, “Impossible, you’re lying!”