"I'm here."
Li Yifeng stood behind Su He, speaking respectfully.
Su He did not rise. This scene was him playing the role of a wealthy heir meeting with a drug dealer.
Soon, a bald man with a scarred face walked in.
In the dimly lit Japanese-style room, the bald man carried a case and set it on the floor. He glanced at Li Yifeng and said, "New face?"
On the other side of the room, a geisha was playing the shamisen. Su He smiled faintly, took out a small knife from beside him and placed it on the table, raising his voice, "Too unpleasant to listen to. Go chop off her fingers!"
The geisha stopped and lay trembling on the floor.
Li Yifeng's face showed hesitation.
"Cut!"
"Yifeng, you're an undercover cop. The more situations like this, the more decisive you need to be. Today's audience can't accept that old approach anymore. No need for an inner struggle, just go over and chop off her fingers to gain their trust..."
Yu Qing demonstrated it for Li Yifeng.
Are criminals stupid? No, they're not. That's why the saying "to join the bandits" has existed since ancient times. How can an undercover cop emerge from the abyss if they don't enter it first?
Re-take. Li Yifeng walked over with a severed finger and tossed it in front of the bald man.
The bald man smiled, and Su He also smiled.
"What are you waiting for? Take her to get her finger re-attached. Did you think we were the real criminals?"
Li Yifeng left the room. The bald man asked doubtfully, "You're not afraid of having a cop around?"
Su He looked into the camera with an evil grin. "Doesn't that make it more fun?"
"Cut!"
"Excellent!"
Yu Qing kept replaying the scene, watching Su He's expression with a chilling sensation, praising him repeatedly, "Su He, you were born for this role! No, you've given this character a soul!"
Yu Qing had been a director for decades but had never encountered an actor with such exquisite skill. Just a smile, just a glance could send shivers down one's spine.
After shooting that scene, it was break time. Su He stood on the balcony, gazing at the beautiful night view. The red lanterns and Japanese-style architecture blended perfectly, recreating a dreamlike scene from Spirited Away.
"Yue Yue, I wish you could appreciate this with me..."
At that moment, Li Yifeng came over and greeted him, "I'm not disturbing you, am I?"
Su He smiled, "Brother Feng, not at all. I just came out for some air. Oh, could I get your autographed photo?"
Li Yifeng looked at Su He in surprise, then smiled, "Is it for your girlfriend?"
Su He scratched his head with an awkward laugh, "She's actually your fan. I really liked the movie Animal World that you acted in."
"Come on, my past works aren't worth mentioning in front of you, Su He. Want me to introduce you to some directors? With your acting skills, it won't take long for you to become famous."
"Thanks, Brother Feng, but I don't plan on entering the entertainment industry for now..."
Li Yifeng patted Su He's shoulder. "Let's go shoot the next scene."
...
At 3 AM, everyone in the crew was exhausted, but Yu Qing was still not quite satisfied. Seeing that the energy was gone, he had to call it a day.
Fan Xiaotong took Su He to a nearby hotel since it was too late to return to their main accommodation.
Jiufen is a tourist spot, and it was peak season, so many hotels were fully booked. Fan Xiaotong finally found one, but the location was rather remote.
Of course, Su He didn't mind. After washing up, he fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.
"Knock knock... knock knock knock!"
It felt like he had only slept for a short while when a series of frantic knocks woke Su He up.
He opened the door to Fan Xiaotong, who rushed in with a pale face, clutching Su He's clothes in a tense grip.
"Su He, there's... there's a ghost!"
Fan Xiaotong was trembling all over, her eyes filled with terror.
Su He grabbed her arm firmly and looked into her eyes, speaking softly, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. There are no ghosts in this world..."
Fan Xiaotong stared at Su He, nearly in tears. "Su He! There really is a ghost, in my room. Under my bed, in the walls... everywhere. It's a female ghost. Sometimes she's crying, sometimes she's roaring in rage... making strange noises..."
Su He was starting to feel unsettled by Fan Xiaotong's demeanor. In the middle of the night, in an unfamiliar place, at this remote hotel, could there really be something evil?
"Su He, let's call the police?" Fan Xiaotong said tremblingly, seeing Su He's silence.
Call the police? And say what? That we've encountered a ghost, a female ghost, everywhere?
Fan Xiaotong didn't seem to be faking it. There were only two possibilities: either she was mentally ill and imagining everything, like having a nightmare; or she had a serious illness that had progressed to hallucinations.
In either case, it wasn't something Su He could treat.
"You think I'm lying?" Fan Xiaotong looked up at Su He with a solemn expression. "I'm telling the truth!"
Right, right, a ghost, a female ghost, everywhere... Su He wondered if he should contact the director Yu Qing first, since Fan Xiaotong was assigned by him. At least there would be someone to cover the medical expenses if they had to go to the hospital.
After staying in Su He's room for a while, Fan Xiaotong had calmed down a bit. Seeing that Su He didn't believe her, she pulled his hand, leading him out, "If you don't believe me, come to my room."
Fan Xiaotong's room was right next to Su He's. Upon entering, there was nothing out of the ordinary, with the same layout as his room, and no female ghost under the bed.
"There's nothing, was it just a nightmare? You should calm down first. I'm really too tired, so I'll go back and sleep..."
Seeing that Fan Xiaotong's mental state had mostly recovered, Su He decided to report the situation to the director Yu Qing tomorrow.
"Wait, sit down..." Fan Xiaotong pulled Su He to sit on a chair, gestured for silence, and whispered, "Listen with your ears..."
Su He was starting to suspect this was a prank by the crew, but there didn't seem to be any hiding spots or cameras in the room. So he humored Fan Xiaotong, treating it like a game.
A minute passed with no sound. Su He was too tired and getting impatient. Just as he was about to stand up and leave, Fan Xiaotong grabbed his hand, saying, "Did you hear that?"
Su He was startled by Fan Xiaotong's sudden grip.
Hear what? There was no sound. It seemed her condition was quite severe...
Suddenly, a faint noise came through.
"Creeaak..."
Like the sound of fingernails scratching along a wooden board.
Seeing Su He perk up his ears, Fan Xiaotong looked excited, "You heard it too, didn't you?"
"It's probably just the wind blowing the window."
Su He walked towards the window. The wooden window was closed, but he opened it, letting in a cool breeze.
Just as he was about to shut it, the sound of a woman crying came through. Su He whipped his head around to see Fan Xiaotong covering her mouth, her entire body trembling as she stared at him!
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
