TRYMBPIETM 94: Revival of All Things (15)

Several people silently watched the bizarre shadow, holding back for a while before they refrained from asking, “Are you even human?”

They stood there dumbfounded for a while, and it was Yu Jianqing who first remembered that a real cultivator should be able to raise ghosts.

Yu Jianqing tried to control his fear, carefully observing the shadow of Chi Qingzhou.

The shadow, sensing his gaze, cheerfully waved its tentacles at him.

It, it’s quite lively.

Yu Jianqing twitched the corner of his mouth and waved back at the shadow, further confirming his previous guess.

Du Huan and Fu He, noticing his movements, subconsciously turned to look at him, their eyes full of questioning.

Yu Jianqing scratched his head and said uncertainly, “I’ve heard that Maoshan has people who specialize in controlling ghosts.”

Du Huan and Fu He suddenly understood, and the fear in their hearts significantly diminished.

They turned to glance at Chi Qingzhou’s shadow and gave a thumbs-up to him, saying, “Impressive, impressive.”

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head and observed them for a moment but did not correct Yu Jianqing’s assumption.

He understood that some people in this world had very small hearts, and he was a kind person who wouldn’t expose others’ scars.

Chi Qingzhou returned to the previous topic. “I’ll go with you tonight.”

Du Huan and the others immediately nodded. Fu He said, “Okay, okay, then you go to the performance class first. After work tonight, we’ll come to you?”

Chi Qingzhou agreed.

The clock on the wall showed 9:50. He smiled, stood up, and his massive shadow instantly shrank beneath his feet, returning to its normal form.

The thick yin energy in the room quickly dissipated, and the dimmed chandelier suddenly brightened.

He tilted his head, his gaze landing on Du Huan.

Du Huan instinctively stood up, quickly walking over to Chi Qingzhou. “Oh right, class. Chi Ge, wait a second. Let me see which performance class room Brother Guan arranged?”

Chi Qingzhou casually replied, opened the rest room door, and walked out first.

…

The performance teacher that Guan Xihua had found for Chi Qingzhou was a fairly famous professor.

This teacher, surnamed Fan, had been an actor in a drama troupe in his early years and was well-acquainted with several top executives at Yade.

He hadn’t met Chi Qingzhou in person yet, but when the MV Chi Qingzhou had appeared in went viral on hot searches, he had taken a good look and was quite satisfied with Chi Qingzhou’s talent.

However, he had also reviewed the script Guan Xihua provided, and the role Chi Qingzhou was about to play seemed quite complicated.

Flipping through the script full of annotations, Teacher Fan sat across from Chi Qingzhou with a kind expression.

“Have you read the complete script of ‘Wanxiang‘?”

Chi Qingzhou greeted Professor Fan and nodded. “I’ve read it twice.”

Professor Fan said, “That’s good. This script is a bit strange, so let me tell you about the character you’re playing, Daoist You Ling.”

You Ling could be said to be the heart of “Wanxiang.” When Teacher Fan read the script, his biggest impression was that the character felt very fragmented.

The script didn’t explain You Ling’s past, only showing his behavioral patterns through small scenes.

For example, he never seemed to care about others’ malice, remaining warm and sincere as though he had never been hurt. But when he encountered someone he deemed unkind, he would use extraordinarily paradoxical methods to “persuade” them.

Another example was that he always followed the rules of human society and could truly be called kind-hearted, but there was always a sense of fragmentation in his personality, as if he were a ghost wandering among humans.

There was something eerie about him, and the first time Professor Fan read the script, he even felt that this character wasn’t human.

“But we all know that ghosts and monsters aren’t allowed in domestic films(Ghosts and monsters are not outright banned in Chinese films, but there are certain cultural, political, and regulatory guidelines that filmmakers need to follow. The Chinese government’s censorship system often places restrictions on the portrayal of supernatural elements in films, particularly when they are seen as promoting superstition, fear, or behavior that might be deemed harmful to social harmony or moral values.),” Teacher Fan said, putting down his chalk. He blinked, revealing a mischievous smile that made him seem like a playful old man.

“So, for this character, you must portray a sense of being human yet not human.”

This was the true challenge of playing the role.

Compared to this, Director Fang’s focus on Taoist rituals was merely of average difficulty.

Teacher Fan said, “The last person who played this role, I heard, was your brother, Chi Qingning?”

Seeing Chi Qingzhou nod, he shook his head with a smile. “I guess Director Fang didn’t expect anyone to truly capture You Ling’s essence. Since Director Fang has chosen you for this role and Yade has found me to teach you, I hope you at least convey You Ling’s essence.”

Teacher Fan knew that Chi Qingzhou wasn’t formally trained, so he had Chi Qingzhou open the script and explained it to him, segment by segment.

After focusing on a few difficult-to-portray scenes, Teacher Fan did a quick demonstration and had Chi Qingzhou try performing them.

“Alright, Teacher.”

Chi Qingzhou responded, then looked up as he casually opened the script.

He didn’t move, nor did he add any small actions like Teacher Fan. He simply smiled, his lips slightly curved.

His beautiful peach blossom eyes stared straight ahead, unfaltering, as though looking at Teacher Fan, yet also as if looking at something behind him.

There was no smile in his eyes, only innocence and a light, light curiosity.

It was as though he had just returned from somewhere, discovering that there were new things in this world that piqued his intense interest.

Out of Teacher Fan’s sight, Chi Qingzhou’s shadow gently swayed, a few tentacles tapping the edge of the table, lively and joyful.

A chill ran down Teacher Fan’s spine.

Staring into those eyes, he felt like he was no different from a fish waiting to be slaughtered.

Unable to resist, he rubbed his arm. He felt that Chi Qingzhou’s talent truly stood out, conveying the required emotions in a completely different manner. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of fear.

However, it was class time, and Teacher Fan didn’t have the luxury to think too much. After a brief moment of confusion, he continued to diligently guide Chi Qingzhou.

After going over several challenging and key segments one by one, he deeply felt that Chi Qingzhou had already grasped the essence of the character.

Teacher Fan loved this kind of gifted and hardworking student. After class, he specially encouraged Chi Qingzhou a few words before preparing to leave.

Chi Qingzhou blinked, stood up to see him off, and thanked him for the encouragement.

Teacher Fan waved his hand, “It’s your own talent. I didn’t expect you to find the feel so quickly. I thought I’d have to teach you for at least a week.”

He knew the producer of “Wanxiang” and was well aware that Chi Qingzhou would be joining the production in a few days.

It was only now that Yade had asked him to give lessons, and though he didn’t say it out loud, he did feel a bit concerned that Chi Qingzhou wouldn’t be ready in time.

But now, he had to admit that he had underestimated Chi Qingzhou.

Teacher Fan smiled and told Chi Qingzhou not to see him off. He went alone to find Guan Xihua and shared Chi Qingzhou’s situation with him. Afterward, he took his car from the underground garage and drove home in a good mood.

His home was in the faculty neighborhood behind the film academy. He had lived there for over a decade, and the security guards recognized him.

When the security guard in black uniform saw him in the car, he waved and greeted him with a smile.

Teacher Fan nodded in response.

As he waited for the electric gate of the neighborhood to open, his peripheral vision suddenly caught the sight of the security guard chatting with another resident.

The two were laughing and talking, the security guard gesturing with his hands and occasionally blinking to keep his eyes clean and moist.

Teacher Fan froze for a second, then a chill ran down his spine.

He understood!

He understood why Chi Qingzhou’s performance had felt so eerie!

Chi Qingzhou had never blinked.

It wasn’t a deliberate attempt to create a sense of unease by not blinking, but as if he had lost the instinct to do so, naturally not needing to blink to keep his eyes clean and moist.

However, the more Chi Qingzhou acted like it was completely normal, the more Professor Fan felt a terrifying unease about the unnatural behavior.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes staring straight ahead, until the car behind honked, snapping him back to reality.

…

After hearing Teacher Fan’s evaluation of Chi Qingzhou, Guan Xihua was pleasantly surprised and even forgot about the trouble caused by President He.

When Chi Qingzhou insisted on leaving with the others, Guan Xihua couldn’t persuade him, so he decided to go with them in the evening.

He sneered, saying, “I’ll see if anything really follows you guys.”

Du Huan and the two other artists exchanged glances but wisely remained silent.

It was Chi Qingzhou who smiled and said, “Okay, then Brother Guan will protect us.”

Guan Xihua chuckled, “I’ll just call the police if anything happens.”

Chi Qingzhou nodded, “We should follow the law, and let humans handle human matters.”

Du Huan, Yu Jianqing, and Fu He: “…”

Guan Xihua: “…You’re making it sound like there might be non-human matters.”

Chi Qingzhou smiled, not answering.

Guan Xihua didn’t think much of it, taking out the contract he had signed with Yi Shangxiao for the endorsement, and mentioned the short break during filming, which would coincide with shooting an advertisement.

Guan Xihua was meticulous with work matters, and Chi Qingzhou had no objections. They quickly finalized the upcoming schedule.

After finishing all the work, the group had dinner at the company and left around 8:30 PM.

Since Chi Qingzhou’s popularity had risen recently, his nanny car had been upgraded to a larger one.

Du Huan drove, and there was enough space in the middle and rear seats for the others, so they didn’t plan on taking a second car.

As they exited the elevator, Guan Xihua casually said to Du Huan, “It’s a bit of a hassle, but can you first drop them off at home, then take me back?”

Du Huan quickly waved his hand, “It’s no trouble, no trouble. This is my job, Brother Guan, you don’t have to be so polite.”

Fu He also added, “You’re the assistant to our junior, not to me or Xiao Yu, so it’s really a hassle for you.”

Du Huan truly felt they were too polite and was about to say something when suddenly a chilling, sticky, and malicious gaze locked onto his back from an angle.

His spine stiffened instantly.

Du Huan’s expression changed, and he instinctively looked in the direction of the gaze.

Nothing was there.

In the thick darkness of the underground garage, only the sign indicating the safety exit glowed green, illuminating a small patch of ground.

Yu Jianqing and Fu He simultaneously sensed the gaze. Their faces turned pale, and like frightened chicks, they quickly scurried behind Chi Qingzhou, clutching his clothes nervously.

Guan Xihua was startled by their reaction and subconsciously asked, “What’s wrong? What happened?”

The two remained silent. Du Huan cautiously backed up to Chi Qingzhou’s side, gripping his sleeve with a tense expression.

Chi Qingzhou, being pulled like this, turned his head to look at the direction of the sign, slowly letting out a disappointed “Oh.”

“Here I was thinking it would be some new breed, but it’s just some wild ghosts, who has received worshipping incense.”

“You guys… really disappoint me.”