HEIFEIGU -Chapter 16

The flame flickered constantly. Xie Jixing circled several times, but only he and the manager were in the pigsty.

The shadow fire wouldn’t lie. Eliminating all impossibilities, whatever remained, no matter how absurd, had to be the truth.

He followed the flame to its strongest point and stopped.

The reincarnated scumbag now appeared, juicy and alive, in the pig pen.

‘Hmm… hmm… hmm…’

He was buried in the feed trough, devouring pig food.

Xie Jixing: …

“You kid, sure can eat!”

The manager, thinking the streamer was commenting, cheerfully squeezed into the frame: “Our pigs are all fed natural fruits and vegetables, never synthetic feed, so the meat tastes especially good!”

He gave an earnest thumbs-up.

Xie Jixing looked at the pig with loving eyes. “Fine, I guess you’re lucky, kid.”

“Manager, is this pig ready for sale?”

Bringing business sense into it, the manager immediately brightened: “Yes, yes! The pig’s been castrated. This one’s particularly aggressive with food, but it meets the market standards.”

Xie Jixing contacted the crew to buy a live pig as a “sacrifice.”

The director paused, confused, but agreed, even hiring a chef.

Buying a pig normally didn’t require ceremony, but since this was a livestream, the manager made it grand: tying a red cloth around the pig’s neck and having inspectors stamp the hind legs with a “qualified” seal.

Task completed. Back at the mansion, Xie Jixing found the milk tea had already been drunk. Though the cup appeared full, the essence of the tea was gone—at least Sister Yue’s anger had lessened a bit.

The scriptwriter had submitted a revised draft to the director. The previous version was competent, nothing too notable, but this one left the director silent.

Having spent days filming at the mansion, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the girl buried alive in the script was somehow really trapped nearby, permanently confined to this mansion.

So when he saw Xie Jixing, he specifically advised: “Buy any sacrifice you like. Don’t worry about costs—buy more, buy well. If company funds aren’t enough, use my personal account.”

Now, Xie Jixing carried a beautifully crafted strawberry cake.

“Sister Yue, all done. Come eat cake.”

The ghost initially tried to stay modest, but the honey glaze on the strawberries gleamed enticingly, filling the air with a sweetness she had never smelled before. She swung down from the ceiling beam.

“Is he dead?!”

“I was just about to say that.”

Xie Jixing called out to her.

“Come on, come on! It’s amazing!”

Then, Yue Qinyao and Xie Jixing each held their small cakes, leaning their heads together to look at the phone.

On the phone screen, a middle-aged man with a Mediterranean hairstyle was passionately explaining, “Don’t worry about our pigs—they’re all neutered before ever tasting meat. They’re very pure; the meat doesn’t have an iota of gaminess…”

Yue Qinyao’s dark, ghostly eyes for once showed a trace of confusion. This… what the heck is this???

“See that one with the red neck ring?”

Xie Jixing swallowed a strawberry and pointed at the screen.

“That’s Zhu Shimei after reincarnation.”

No sooner had he spoken than the diligent farm manager sent a few more videos.

“Boss, every pig here can be traced (rose swinging). Here’s the feeding process for ZN748, you can check anytime (soybean smile).”

Hesitantly, Yue Qinyao poked the first video with her black hair. The moment she tapped it, the phone immediately filled with piercing screams.

A half-grown piglet was held down on a table by several strong men, spread-eagle. After some disinfection procedures, the farm manager in protective clothing raised his knife and struck.

Then, with a simple, sincere smile, he showed the camera two intact pig testicles.

Xie Jixing leaned back in tactical disbelief. “Hiss!”

Yue Qinyao also leaned back. “Eek!”

The second video was much more heartwarming, showing ZN748’s daily fattening routine and some pig-on-pig antics.

For example, ZN748 being mounted by other boars, being knocked over while fighting for food, or being squashed under a pile of pigs like a cushion.

Despite these terrifying bullying scenes, the manager had added cute background music and heart effects.

Xie Jixing didn’t fully understand but respected it.

The final video featured the farm manager himself: “Hello, boss. Our Super Fragrant Pig Farm has always adhered to traditional slaughtering methods—no anesthesia, no electric shocks. This way, the pork is firmer and tastier. Today, I will be the one to do the honors.”

The scene shifted. A pig, with its front and back hooves tied together, struggled and squealed on the floor. Two staff members stepped in, each holding down the head and feet.

The manager raised his knife and struck.

Xie Jixing was so scared he felt like the blood might spray out of the phone and onto his face.

Bleeding, scalding, hair removal, gutting—the manager’s movements were smooth and precise. Yue Qinyao ate her cake, eyes glued to the screen.

The video only ended once the neatly prepared pork was loaded onto a cold chain truck.

At some point, Yue Qinyao had a cup of milk tea in her hand. After sipping a pearl, she suddenly felt her obsession dissipate.

“Sister Yue, it’s about to be delivered. How do you want it to die?”

Xie Jixing rubbed his hands in anticipation.

“Braised ribs, lion’s head, or crispy pork belly?”

Slurp.

Seeing the scumbag meet such a miserable end, Xie Jixing couldn’t help letting a tear run from the corner of his mouth.

Yue Qinyao rolled her eyes so much that all you could see was white.

“Whatever.”

Xie Jixing snapped his fingers, and a small, ghostly blue flame ignited at his fingertips.

“This is the third time.”

He looked at Yue Qinyao sincerely, practically about to go down on one knee and pull out a diamond ring.

“Yue Qinyao, do you accept?”

The ghostly blue flame flew into the female ghost’s forehead.

Xie Jixing smiled brilliantly.

“Congratulations, male and female guests successfully paired up!”

A ghostly face suddenly pressed close. Yue Qinyao spoke softly, voice delicate yet explosive:

“You’re not a little virgin, are you? Talking so much smut—be careful or you’ll get punished in the future.”

Xie Jixing ground his teeth—he couldn’t let her read any more BL novels.

The chef brought in by the director had arranged the scumbag’s fate clearly:

Stewed beans with pig trotters, braised pork knuckles, Dongpo pork, nine-turn intestines, stir-fried liver tips…

Problem solved. The crew even gathered for a meal together.

Xie Jixing snapped photos for social media, helping the pig farm manager promote his business, then dug in enthusiastically. This scumbag really is delicious in every way!

After finalizing the script, the crew only took two days to finish Xie Jixing’s solo scenes.

After going through the on-screen illusions, his acting improved several levels.

Wearing a custom Xiuhé costume and makeup that had a hint of eerie, fragmented beauty, his eyes full of sorrow and deep hatred—he was a perfect female ghost. Almost all the scenes were done in one take.

With all preliminary materials completed, the crew, having modified the script, made a bold decision: they would switch this variety show from pre-recorded to split-line live broadcast.

Coincidentally, the production had booked Summer Star during the planning phase, packing two members for 300,000 yuan.

When the assistant director followed up, Summer Xing’s side said Xia Letian’s health wasn’t good, so live filming wasn’t possible; only Ji Jin could attend. The fee could be reduced to 100,000 yuan.

“Xiao Xie, come in,” the assistant director mysteriously called Xie Jixing into the lounge.

After the “500/day” incident, Ning Yan caught up on some research, compiling Summer Xing’s history of grievances, and had a low opinion of that group.

Naturally, before the formal invitation, she briefed the assistant director.

The assistant director frowned, arms crossed, leg shaking, cigarette dangling sideways.

Only 100,000 yuan?

Is that the amount a talentless idol who does nothing but fart deserves?

If they want the program, first they should ask if Xiao Xie agrees.

“We have Ji Jin from Summer Xing’s group,” the assistant director said to Xie Jixing with tender concern. “I heard you two… if you don’t want him, we can replace him.”

Ji Jin coming? Perfect!

He had just signed a capable female ghost—this could come in handy.

“No problem. Let him come—defeated opponents won’t take advantage here,” Xie Jixing said proudly, head held high.

“Okay,” the assistant director agreed, interpreting Xie Jixing’s words at a corporate level: Xiao Xie wants to take advantage of Ji Jin.

When negotiating with Summer Xing’s manager over the phone, the assistant director listed Summer Xing’s recent live broadcast mishaps and public controversies.

He implied that the original intention of inviting Summer Star was mainly to get Zhu Qian and Xie Jixing.

Now with Xia Letian and Ji Jin, they were already unhappy—and now only Ji Jin was attending.

Were they a cheap production team, spending 100,000 yuan just to invite a fart king?

The manager felt cornered and almost wanted to quit.

Summer Star had recently suffered multiple setbacks, exposure dropping. The show, though new, was backed by a major platform and had broadcast channels—very likely to become popular.

So they endured.

Ultimately, from 100,000 yuan fee, it became: as long as Ji Jin could appear, they could bring in capital!

The assistant director celebrated, going to seek the director’s praise.

Xie Jixing solved the crew’s major problem, and since he had been an artist before, there was plenty of space to reward him.

First, as a background actor, his role was already substantial.

His solo scenes were nearly as important as the guest appearances. With a gender-bending twist as a major highlight, he was elevated to a “mystery guest.”

For promotion, a silhouette on posters—a gentle, classical beauty in Xiuhé costume—so fans could guess.

Once viewers guessed all the female performers, they would see Xie Jixing on the show. Push a few posts and the buzz would skyrocket.

As for the 100,000 yuan fee, they simply counted it as Xie Jixing’s pay.

Posters were released, teasing for a few days. Sure enough, everyone was guessing who the Xiuhé beauty was.

During the first wave of excitement, the show began.