Lan He’s agency was small, and he was very transparent, focusing solely on acting. Therefore, the news about him online was sparse and dull, mostly just casting information.
Now, because he was participating in Liu Chunyang’s new movie, there was more news about him. However, as netizens said, the content was quite strange…
Therefore, one thing was very real: netizens generally didn’t think this was a publicity stunt. After all, Chen Xingyu initiated it, and everyone knew her personality. Lan He was already cast in Liu Chunyang’s movie, so why not hype something else? At worst, didn’t Lan He look good? Why not just hype his looks?
With this strange content, Chen Xingyu’s popularity, and Lan He’s indeed handsome face, he actually gained some attention. Even his previously quiet Weibo saw a surge in views, and his followers increased by tens of thousands — this Weibo account was opened by his company after he joined the crew, for him to post daily updates occasionally.
Lan He was already exhausted from filming every day, so he wasn’t particularly attentive to Weibo. He only posted a few entries, mostly pictures of his boxed meals, sharing his food.
This made his Weibo comment section even more confusing. It was hard to discern what some of his followers were even there for.
“Excuse me, what should I do if my baby cries all the time at 100 days old? dog_head.jpg”
“Sisters in the comment section, check out if my pig head is beautiful. Today, our village is holding an ancestral worship ceremony.”
“Look at this, look at this, there are very few multi-talented actors like this nowadays, follow him!”
“Handsome guy, your food doesn’t look very good. Can you post Director Liu’s food?”
…
While Lan He was contemplating whether these counted as fans, Liu Chunyang even retweeted his Weibo, saying, “I’m riding the wave of popularity,” and attached a picture of delicious food for a stark contrast. As a result, netizens joined in the fun and posted a bunch of food photos.
Lan He: “…”
He was about to vomit blood and decided to turn off Weibo and focus on filming.
At this filming location, Lan He’s character was to be killed off, so after wrapping up that day, he and Chen Xingyang went to Liu Chunyang’s place to discuss this crucial scene.
Liu Chunyang was eating barbecue. This time, he didn’t dare to be so arrogant. Ever since being disciplined by Chen Xingyang and Lan He once, he had toned down a lot on set. He had also provoked Lan He online today and was a bit afraid that Lan He might get angry and attack him.
“Hey, why don’t you two just sleep here tonight?” Liu Chunyang said. His place had a large kang (a traditional heated bed), but it was just him and the assistant director, so there was plenty of room.
This would also save time. Everyone would be on the same kang; once the lights were out, they could sleep immediately after discussing everything.
Lan He declined, always feeling that the barbecue smell in the room wouldn’t dissipate. Walking a few more steps wouldn’t kill him, so only Chen Xingyang, too lazy to move, stayed behind.
Liu Chunyang slept in the middle, with the assistant director and Chen Xingyang on either side. The kang was big enough for five or six people to sleep side by side, so they didn’t feel crowded.
In the middle of the night, not knowing what time it was, Liu Chunyang felt a dull pain in his stomach. He woke up, groaning with his eyes closed, wondering if the barbecue was not clean and if he had gastroenteritis.
Despite the hot weather, he felt a bit cold.
Although Chen Xingyang and the assistant director didn’t make a sound, Liu Chunyang could feel their concern. A hand reached under the blanket from the right and placed it on Liu Chunyang’s stomach, rubbing it gently.
To his surprise, Liu Chunyang immediately felt much better. “Hmm… a little to the left… comfortable…”
That hand was really understanding and warm, rubbing him just right through a layer of undershirt. The pain soon disappeared, but Liu Chunyang was still a bit reluctant: “Xingyang, can you keep rubbing?”
Chen Xingyang woke up groggily: “Rubbing what?”
Liu Chunyang, still with his eyes closed, asked in confusion, “Xingyang, weren’t you the one rubbing me?”
Chen Xingyang said, “Damn, Director Liu, we’ve worked on three movies together, and now you’re thinking of hitting on me? Isn’t that a bit slow?”
“……” Liu Chunyang opened his eyes to see that Chen Xingyang, who was lying about a person’s width away, had both hands placed properly on himself.
Liu Chunyang’s just-awake brain was a bit muddled, and it took him several seconds to realize who was rubbing his stomach. Could it have been the assistant director’s hand reaching over?
At that moment, the comfortable little hand had already lifted his undershirt, placed it on his bare stomach, and gently rubbed. Without the shirt as a barrier, he could clearly feel the furry and warm touch.
Liu Chunyang broke out in a sweat instantly. His mind went blank, but his body reacted automatically, springing from the kang and shouting three times in a row: “Damn, damn, damn!!”
He remembered the old saying that even ghosts fear evil people, so he cursed a string of expletives and stomped hard on the blanket, “Don’t touch me!!”
The assistant director was also woken by Liu Chunyang’s colorful language and reached out to turn on the light, “Director, what’s going on? Cursing in the middle of the night, did you think of something we missed shooting…”
“Dammit, something was rubbing me, something furry.” Liu Chunyang threw off the blanket. Despite his frantic stomping, there was nothing underneath, making it seem like a hallucination.
Chen Xingyang, puzzled, said, “Dreaming? I didn’t feel anything.”
The assistant director added, “Could it have been a rat…”
Liu Chunyang’s expression changed. To be honest, after the light was on, it did seem like a very real dream. There was no pain in his stomach anymore. But given Liu Chunyang’s cautious nature, he got out of bed, “I’m going to sleep with Lan He!”
Chen Xingyang and the assistant director looked at each other. What about them?
Even though they hadn’t felt anything when Liu Chunyang woke them up, they still felt a bit strange. So they decided to go together and knock on Lan He’s door since they were in the same courtyard.
Lan He was sharing a room with Cheng Haidong and two other actors, and the knocking woke all three of them up.
Lan He went to open the door, and Cheng Haidong asked, “Who is it?”
Lan He: “Director Liu…”
The other three were wide awake now. What’s going on? The director knocking on the door in the middle of the night?
Cheng Haidong muttered, “This is rare. I’ve only heard of actors knocking on the director’s door in the middle of the night.”
“Get lost.” Liu Chunyang heard this, entered, and said, “I’m sleeping here tonight.”
“And us too.” Chen Xingyang and the assistant director followed in, “The director had a nightmare, said a furry hand was rubbing his stomach, so we’re here to soak up some good vibes.”
Liu Chunyang didn’t refute this, which seemed to combine his earlier experience with a possible explanation.
Cheng Haidong sat up immediately, “…Is this for real?” He was worried because he was considered a trouble magnet.
Lan He thoughtfully sniffed the air. There was no smell of burnt paper or any stench. Was Director Liu just dreaming?
“Who’s joking with you guys? I was scared to death. I can’t be sure if it was a dream,” Liu Chunyang said seriously, not wanting to scare anyone late at night. “Let’s sleep. We have to get up at four to catch the daylight, and there’s only an hour left.”
Everyone: “…………”
This was scarier than the dream!
The space meant for at most six people was now crammed with seven, making it very crowded. But no one dared defy the director, so they comforted themselves with the thought that at least they were achieving the feat of sleeping with both the director and the lead actor.
The assistant director turned off the light, and Lan He lay back down. Soon, he felt a warm hand slip into the blanket, slowly reaching over.
Here it comes?
Lan He, with his eyes closed, asked, “…Director Liu?”
Liu Chunyang replied, “Yes.”
Lan He said, “Take your hand away.”
Liu Chunyang reluctantly withdrew his hand and inched closer to Lan He’s side. On the other side, Chen Xingyang also moved closer, feeling safer being near Lan He.
At exactly four o’clock, Lan He got up from the crowded bed. It was already tight enough, and with the director and Chen Xingyang crowding towards him, he couldn’t sleep anymore.
Lan He got up, washed up, and went to do his makeup. Before filming started, he saw a staff member hand Director Liu a phone. Director Liu started arguing on the phone, but it wasn’t unusual for him to yell.
Liu Chunyang shouted, “I said it would be best if we could finish tomorrow! But we can’t finish, so what can we do! The house we rented earlier got damaged, didn’t it? It’s not like I didn’t pay. Why are you rushing? Do you want more money?!”
The location rental was about to expire, and someone was asking him about extending it. Liu Chunyang, already in a bad mood, yelled at them and then grabbed a staff member to ask why the extension hadn’t been discussed with Xiao Yang earlier.
After hanging up, Xiao Yang came back, as if worried they might back out, and insisted on immediately renewing the contract with paperwork.
Xiao Yang also seemed particularly concerned, wanting to inspect every room to see if they had damaged anything.
Liu Chunyang was exasperated. Most of the rooms were practically empty, with no furniture besides beds. All props were brought by the crew.
The only appliance they had was an electric kettle.
Not to mention last night’s incident. Liu Chunyang gritted his teeth and asked Xiao Yang, “I was about to say, your house is haunted. Has this ever happened before?”
Xiao Yang immediately replied, “Director Liu, how could my house be haunted? You can ask around. Before you moved in, my whole family lived here. Would we dare live here if it was haunted? Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?”
Liu Chunyang scrutinized him for a few seconds, then let it go with some doubt.
After all, they had already been filming here for several days. It wasn’t practical to switch locations now and reshoot everything. Liu Chunyang decided he would put a knife under the bed for protection.
Xiao Yang chuckled and checked every room before leaving.
Today was the day for Lan He’s character’s death scene. Chen Xingyu specifically came to the set to see what Liu Chunyang had described as an unprecedented death performance.
…
Lan He’s character, Zhang Xunchun, sat in a huanghuali wood armchair, his fingers caressing the old silver ornaments on the chair. Apart from this chair, all the furnishings in the room were old, just like the person seated in it, aged and weary.
The male lead stood before him, with no way out, seemingly ready to surrender.
Zhang Xunchun’s long fingers forcibly snapped off the silver ornament and swiftly stabbed the sharp end into his own throat.
“Xunchun!”
The male lead rushed forward to catch Zhang Xunchun. In this close-up shot, Zhang Xunchun’s eyes reflected complex emotions—regret, fear, and hatred—but there was no hint of remorse.
Zhang Xunchun slowly closed his eyes, his breath fading away.
The male lead, once Zhang Xunchun’s friend, sat there in heavy sorrow, holding his lifeless body until the female lead and other companions arrived to talk. During this time, “Zhang Xunchun” naturally remained lifeless.
Chen Xingyu, watching from the side, along with many crew members who knew what the director had said, finally understood why Liu Chunyang claimed to be conquered by Lan He’s portrayal of death!
Though Lan He’s face was made up to look increasingly ashen, the more astounding aspect was his complete lack of vitality, as if he had truly lost consciousness.
Lan He, with his spirit seemingly detached, stood with his hands on his hips, waiting for his death scene to conclude. As he wandered around the small room, he discovered a piece of yellow paper tucked behind a cabinet.
Bored, Lan He reached in to feel the paper. It was coarse, like handmade paper, and quite thick… having folded paper for so long, he was very familiar with the texture. The paper was blank, so he glanced at it briefly, noticing that his scene was almost over, and quickly returned to character.
The scene was a success. Amid applause, Liu Chunyang handed Lan He a red envelope. It wasn’t just because his death scene was exceptionally good; it was a tradition on set. Anyone playing a deceased character would receive a red envelope to ward off bad luck, as playing a dead person was considered unlucky.
A person like Liu Chunyang, of course, adhered strictly to this tradition.
At night, Liu Chunyang refused to sleep in that room again. He sneaked over with the assistant director to squeeze into Lan He’s room.
“You can sleep here, but don’t crowd me or have any late-night snacks,” Lan He said.
Liu Chunyang exclaimed, “What, no late-night snacks?”
Lan He sighed, “…So what are you actually afraid of?!”
He decided that if Liu Chunyang ate a late-night snack, he would “suck away” the soul of Liu Chunyang’s snack.
Lan He had brought a touch-activated night light, which he placed by the bed for reading scripts before sleeping. When it was time, he touched the light, lay down, and quickly fell asleep.
Liu Chunyang was also tired but somewhat fearful of the furry touch from the previous night. However, with a change of room and Lan He by his side, he felt it should be fine.
Liu Chunyang dozed off, dreaming of disastrous film takes—a nightmare that woke him up in a cold sweat.
“Phew…” Liu Chunyang exhaled, unsure of the time. The room was filled with the sound of the others’ deep breathing. He opened his eyes, intending to drink some water before going back to sleep, but saw that the touch-activated night light above him suddenly turned on.
It was as if an invisible hand had brushed against the switch, casting a soft yellow light, lonely and suspended overhead.
Liu Chunyang: “!!”
He could hear the sound of his molars grinding together, clattering. Then, everything went black as something furry and smelly suddenly covered his face.
“Mmm! Mmm!” Liu Chunyang struggled desperately, feeling like he was about to suffocate.
It felt as if some animal had just plopped its furry bottom onto his face!
With the air growing thinner, his nose seemed filled with fur. Just then, the thing covering his face was suddenly lifted, and fresh air rushed in. Liu Chunyang took deep breaths, “Hah… hah…”
The commotion woke everyone else sharing the bed. They stared at Liu Chunyang in confusion. He had been grimacing, struggling with himself, his neck veins bulging.
Lan He stared at him, “Director Liu, what’s wrong?”
Liu Chunyang sat up, flailing, “Huff, huff, some furry butt sat on my face, I nearly suffocated!”
After he said this, he noticed the strange looks everyone was giving him.
Lan He said, “Furry butt? Do you mean this sweater? It was covering your face, I pulled it off.”
Liu Chunyang looked carefully. An old sweater lay quietly in a corner. His heart skipped a beat, as if a chill breeze had passed through, and he scratched his head, “…Where did this come from?”
“It looks like it’s from the owner’s wardrobe. When did you take it out?” Lan He said. The sweater was old-fashioned, slightly musty, and indeed, there were a few old clothes in the owner’s wardrobe that they hadn’t paid attention to since they were only temporarily staying here.
Liu Chunyang exclaimed, “I never took it out!!”
Liu Chunyang was on the verge of a breakdown. He was sure he had never taken it out, so how did this old sweater end up here? Two consecutive nights of such dreams, even if they were dreams, seemed too eerie. The others were also growing increasingly uneasy, feeling that this old house was full of hidden dangers.
Cheng Haidong’s face turned pale as he thought: It’s over. Wherever I go, supernatural events follow. The heavens have truly chosen me!
The only one who remained somewhat calm was Lan He, who was always regarded as righteous. He picked up the sweater and put it back in the wardrobe, “Director, you still don’t seem fully awake. Maybe you should sleep outside in the courtyard. It might be that the room is too stuffy and is causing you to have hallucinations.”
Lan He’s suggestion wasn’t particularly creative, but his exceptionally calm demeanor, combined with his righteous reputation, made everyone feel as though they had found a stabilizing force.
“No, I won’t. I’ll sleep with you,” Liu Chunyang said, remembering it was Lan He who had woken him up earlier.
Liu Chunyang was deeply puzzled. They had been filming for days without any unusual occurrences, but suddenly, strange things had started happening in the past two days. Yesterday, it was just a stomach rub; today, something was covering his face.
Was someone trying to harm him? Liu Chunyang recalled stories from the old days, where craftsmen, when mistreated, would set up harmful tricks in their employer’s rooms, like burying cow bones or drawing talismans on wood.
“Then let’s sleep. I’m really tired,” Lan He said, reaching to turn off the light.
The others: “No!!!!”
Lan He: “…”
Alright, we’ll sleep with the light on for one night.
Misfortune seemed to follow them. The next morning, Liu Chunyang heard that a batch of equipment had broken down, nearly causing him to faint with anger. The equipment was rented, and who knew how much the repairs would cost? The time lost alone was enough to drive him nuts.
Liu Chunyang felt something was off. His seasoned crew was usually very reliable. How could a whole batch of equipment suddenly break? The equipment had been stored next to the courtyard where he had slept the previous night.
Thinking of his suspicion, Liu Chunyang contacted someone to send replacement equipment while he checked the filming location.
When Lan He and Chen Xingyang walked in, they saw Liu Chunyang staring at two pieces of yellow paper. “What is that?” asked Chen Xingyang.
“Yellow paper, is it a talisman?” Chen Xingyang suggested.
Lan He noted, “There’s no writing on it.”
“It was stuck behind the cabinet,” Liu Chunyang muttered.
Lan He knew; he had seen it too. However, he found it strange that there had been only one sheet when he had seen it in his out-of-body state, but now there were two.
Liu Chunyang examined the yellow paper for a while before suddenly flipping it over and peeling it apart. There was a hidden layer with a piece of paper inside.
Pulling it out, he found a line of crooked small characters: “Temporary Residence Notice: Move-in on the 20th, move-out on the 31st.” He then opened the other sheet, which continued: “Notice: Extended stay until the 5th.”
Chen Xingyang shivered, “Who is this notice for? What used to live in this house?”
He felt increasingly uncomfortable being there.
“Damn it,” Liu Chunyang suddenly cursed, “No wonder the owner rushed back. They had to handle the extension paperwork!”
He didn’t name names, but everyone knew he was cursing the house owner.
Liu Chunyang paced with the extension notice in hand, “But it’s strange. Even with the notice, why did something still happen last night?”
Chen Xingyang, still confused, asked, “Director Liu, do you know who this is borrowing from?”
“Who else!” Liu Chunyang lowered his temper and voice, afraid everyone would hear, “The only ones who live in empty rooms in homes are the fox spirits!”
Liu Chunyang, being an old Beijinger and knowledgeable about these things, quickly explained.
In northern China, people often worship certain animals, believing that the fox (Hu), weasel (Huang), hedgehog (Bai), and snake (Liu) are the most spiritual and capable of cultivating powers. They are collectively known as the Four Great Spirits.
If a household has a family spirit, meaning they’ve worshiped one of these spiritual animals, it is believed to bring prosperity. These spirits are also commonly referred to as the God of Wealth.
To worship the God of Wealth, one must build a small shrine at the entrance. If the spirit takes a liking to the place, it will move in and become the family’s guardian spirit, bringing prosperity.
However, the spirits have different preferences. For instance, the hedgehog spirit prefers to live in straw piles. If a straw pile houses a spirit, it is called a Golden Silk Building.
The fox spirit, which is the leader among the four, dislikes living in shrines or Golden Silk Buildings. They prefer occupying empty rooms in the worshipper’s house. If outsiders need to stay there, they must write a Temporary Residence Notice, informing the fox spirit of the move-in and move-out dates and strictly adhere to it. Otherwise, the disturbed family spirit would naturally be displeased.
From the notice, it was clear that Liu Chunyang had encountered the fox spirit in this house. The owner had followed the rules and posted the extension notice, so why was there still trouble?
Regardless, Liu Chunyang now knew who to contact. He immediately called Xiao Yang and asked him to come over.
…
“Director Liu, what’s up?” Xiao Yang appeared with a bruised face.
Seeing Xiao Yang’s bruised face, Liu Chunyang was speechless, becoming even more convinced that the problem lay with the house. He clung tightly to Lan He’s hand for courage—having forced Lan He to accompany him the whole time, and with Chen Xingyang also scared, tagging along.
Lan He: “…”
He innocently played along as a tool, not having said much himself. Liu Chunyang had already declared, “I know you don’t believe, but the world is too mysterious to be so sure. Just consider it me being scared, and accompany me.”
Liu Chunyang questioned Xiao Yang, “I want to ask you, what has made your fox spirit so angry!”
Xiao Yang immediately looked sheepish, “How… how did you know?”
Liu Chunyang almost burst out cursing, “You’re setting us up!”
With Liu Chunyang’s meticulous nature, if he knew the house had a family spirit, he would never have chosen to rent it, fearing to disturb the spirit. He always made sure to check in advance. Xiao Yang’s house got “selected” because he claimed it was clean.
Xiao Yang, feeling guilty, said, “I thought there wouldn’t be any problems… I posted both the Temporary Residence Notice and the Extension Notice in time, but who knew the fox spirit would still get angry. I even got hit by a motorcycle as soon as I left.”
Why wouldn’t the spirit be angry? If it loved peace and quiet, even with the notices, it would still be very annoyed. Not only did it harass Liu Chunyang, but it didn’t spare Xiao Yang either.
“But we haven’t finished filming. If we leave now, we’ll have to reshoot and find another place,” Chen Xingyang couldn’t help but say. “Isn’t there any way to ask the fox spirit for forgiveness?”
Liu Chunyang added, “Can we invite a priest to mediate? Just a few more days, and I can offer more sacrifices to the fox spirit.”
The spirits of the Four Great Gates have different types. Family spirits are worshipped in private homes, while shrine spirits are worshipped in public shrines and serve more extensive communities, offering blessings to those who seek their help.
Liu Chunyang referred to the priests serving these shrine spirits, as they can use the spirit’s powers to heal, exorcise, etc., acting as intermediaries.
Xiao Yang, however, gave a bitter smile, “You don’t understand. Although our fox spirit is a family spirit, she’s exceptionally powerful. Even the top spirits around here, like ‘Old Lady Liu’ or ‘Third Lady Bai’, can’t handle her. They aren’t qualified to mediate. Her abilities are profound; she’s here to repay a favor to my family.”
Liu Chunyang said coldly, “You’ve turned her favor into a grudge. There’s always a higher power; I don’t believe there’s no one capable. What’s her background?”
Xiao Yang replied, “Director Liu, since you know the Four Great Gates, you should also know that all four gates worship Wang San Granny. Wang San Granny is a follower of Bixia Yuanjun and resides on Miao Gan Mountain. Our God of Wealth once lived on Miao Gan Mountain, serving under the old deity’s command! She’s one of the most renowned fox spirits in Beijing!”
Lan He suddenly looked up: Huh???
Xiao Yang gazed in the direction of Miao Gan Mountain, his tone a mix of pride and regret, “Our fox spirit has a fiery temper, known as 79 Lady Hu!”
Lan He: “………………..”
I wonder why she hasn’t revealed herself to Lan He yet XD