HEIFEIGU -Chapter 11

The interview site was in the suburbs, not far from Xie Jixing’s “underground urn apartment.” The subway went straight there.

It was a large immersive escape room styled like a late-Qing dynasty mansion. Very atmospheric and quite famous online.

The variety show team chose this place as their filming site. It doubled as promotion and saved money.

The venue was huge and maze-like, with many courtyards and rooms, so the interview was held in the small plaza outside the front yard.

Ning Yan spotted Xie Jixing immediately.

There was no helping it—his looks were on a completely different level from other extras.

“Hi, handsome!” she greeted him. “I’m the one who video-called you yesterday.”

Xie Jixing responded warmly and followed her inside.

“Wow, with your face, the air around you feels cooler!” Ning Yan, a hardcore looks-lover and extreme extrovert, said excitedly. “I thought you used filters in the interview. Turns out you’re actually not very photogenic!”

That was… exaggerated, wasn’t it?

Xie Jixing subconsciously curled his toes.

He really wanted to tell her the air was cooler—because a miserable ghost next to him was diligently releasing cold yin energy.

The interview went smoothly.

The assistant director scanned his face and asked:

“Do you exercise regularly?”

Exercise meant burning energy.

Burning energy meant eating more.

Eating more meant spending money.

So obviously, lying down was best.

“Um… relatively… still,” Xie Jixing answered tactfully.

“Oh, then you should move more. Maybe run,” the assistant director sighed. “Your role involves some chasing. Even with special passages, you’ll still have to run.”

Xie Jixing nodded obediently.

Fine. The crew had boxed lunches. With food that good, running was acceptable.

“This role is well chosen, Xiao Ning. Let’s proceed. Come for makeup tests and training tomorrow at 9 a.m.,” the assistant director said. “Next.”

Ning Yan, praised by her superior, happily took Xie Jixing to sign the contract.

The project team was quite large, with experienced members and several successful shows before.

Online recruitment was handled by interns. Ning Yan had joined with several others, and praise from superiors meant a better chance of becoming permanent staff.

Since the assistant director was satisfied with Xie Jixing, she naturally treated him even better.

While he signed, she reminded him:

“Our pay is daily. Make sure your bank account is correct.”

“The director hates lateness. Call time is 9 a.m. Come half an hour early—there’s better breakfast.”

“Keep this interview card. You can get 50 yuan travel reimbursement at the guard booth.”

“And if you’re not in a hurry, you can walk around. Lunch will be provided for all applicants.”

Lunch today?

Great!

Xie Jixing answered “Mm-hmm” repeatedly, carefully pocketed his card and meal ticket, and went exploring.

Ning Yan looked at the flamboyant signature “Xie Jixing” and felt it seemed familiar.

Ah well. She was just an intern.

---

From the moment he entered, Xie Jixing sensed yin energy here.

Thin strands floated everywhere, harmless and non-aggressive.

There was probably a ghost here—strong, but not vicious.

With time before lunch, he walked deeper inside.

The mansion was restored extremely well, gloomy and oppressive.

Old furniture: canopy beds, giant wardrobes, round tables with armchairs. Everything showed signs of wear and strange dark stains.

It even had full household items—tea sets, bedding, everything.

He lightly touched them. Thin yin energy clung to them, which he absorbed easily, saving it as lunch for the unlucky ghost.

The last courtyard seemed to belong to female residents. It was especially delicate.

By the window stood a dressing table.

It had mirrors, makeup boxes, silver hairpins, and even rouge and powder.

This was where the yin energy was thickest. The unlucky ghost drifted back involuntarily.

Xie Jixing brushed the mirror with his finger.

Though the surface was smooth, his fingertip was cut slightly.

So this ghost had a bad temper. Didn’t want to see him?

As the blood bead solidified, he burned it with yin fire and sprinkled the powder onto the mirror.

“Hmph. Next time, you’ll have to see me whether you want to or not.”

After that, he went back to the plaza.

Lunch time!

It was the best meal he’d had since transmigrating.

Each person got a big chicken leg, two meat dishes, two vegetables, and rice.

There was no dining area, so he sat in a corner by the road with the unlucky ghost.

He rolled the collected yin energy into a cotton-candy-like ball and handed it over, along with a drink made with yin fire.

Even if he was poor, he never mistreated his ghost.

The unlucky ghost, now plump and healthy, carefully nibbled.

After feeding it, Xie Jixing rubbed his hands and picked up the chicken leg.

Wow—so fragrant!

He didn’t notice someone hiding behind a tree, secretly taking photos.

---

Jiang Zhengqi was a minor actor nobody knew.

He was also here to audition.

Arriving late, he saw Xie Jixing getting food. That face was familiar.

His agent had once tried hard to sign Xie Jixing because of his looks—sure to please powerful people.

But Xie Jixing refused every time, even mocking them.

Jiang Zhengqi still remembered his agent’s furious rant.

Hmph.

He thought Xie Jixing had a great future ahead.

Turns out he was just like him—doing temporary extra work on variety shows.

And eating boxed lunch on the roadside.

So low-class.

After taking the photos, Jiang Zhengqi immediately sent them to his manager.

【Photos x5: Brother Li, look who I ran into during my audition. Isn’t this the kid you wanted to sign before? He’s doing pretty badly now—eating boxed meals on the roadside.】

Brother Li squinted at the photos on his phone.

Serves him right for being so ungrateful. This is what he deserves.

If he had followed me and properly “served” a few big shots, he might already be starring as the male lead in some web drama by now.

He also knew the manager from Summer Star, so he forwarded the pictures.

【Wanna hype this up?】

The previous publicity hadn’t achieved the desired effect, and the Summer Star manager had been holding in frustration. Of course they wanted to stir things up.

After discussing it, the two sides decided to use their own marketing accounts.

They quickly fabricated a piece of “news”:

“Once-Popular Male Idol Reduced to a 500-Yuan-a-Day Temp Worker, Eating Boxed Meals on the Street!”

Below it were several photos of Xie Jixing gnawing on a chicken leg.

The news began spreading online.

But Xie Jixing knew nothing about it.

The next morning, he arrived early at the escape room with the “Unlucky Ghost,” ate three preserved-vegetable pork buns, and drank a cup of red-date soy milk.

A heavenly life. Truly heavenly.

The makeup test was stunning.

Xie Jixing’s skin was pale and cool-toned—he didn’t even need foundation.

They only thinned his eyebrows slightly, added deep red eyeshadow and eyeliner to make his eyes look more alluring, and finished with lip makeup.

Done.

The whole process took less than half an hour.

Afterward, Ning Yan and the makeup artist were stunned.

What kind of heaven-chosen ghost beauty was this? Way too pretty.

After submitting the finalized photos, Ning Yan took Xie Jixing to meet the other actors and staff.

A bunch of grown men froze on the spot.

Someone even secretly pulled out his phone, planning to ask this tall, cool beauty for her WeChat.

But when they noticed the oversized white T-shirt, flat chest, and faded denim shorts, they snapped back to reality.

Yeah… never mind. He’s a guy.

The escape room owner led everyone around, explaining the mechanisms and secret passages.

They’d still need more practice later.

When they reached the last room, Xie Jixing suddenly felt the temperature drop.

His vision went dark.

Everyone around him disappeared.

From the ceiling hung countless strands of long black hair, dripping dark-red blood, wrapping toward his face.

A stench filled the air.

The Unlucky Ghost panicked and tried to use his ghostly aura to push them away.

But he was too weak.

The moment his energy touched the hair, it dissipated completely.

Useless.

His hollow eyes filled with tears again.

“W-What do we do? We can’t beat it!”

As if responding, more and more black hair appeared, nearly wrapping Xie Jixing entirely.

“Beat what?” Xie Jixing snapped at him.

“These hairs aren’t trying to hurt me. They’re just trying to scare me.”

He put on a sincere, innocent smile and tilted his head.

“Whether you’re human or ghost, you shouldn’t hit girls.”

Unlucky Ghost: ????

Bro, is this really the time for this?

“And this young lady has such good hair,” he continued.

“Black and shiny.”

“And so thick!”

“Enough to make Ning Yan and the makeup artist jealous for half a month!”

He spoke sincerely, clicking his tongue in admiration.

The black hair froze, unsure whether to keep attacking or retreat.

Black Hair: What… this guy is crazy.