HEIFEIGU -Chapter 84

After the police left, Wei Tingquan yawned and noticed an extra person nearby.

This person looked very similar to the figure he had seen at the door of Room 714 last time—tall and handsome.

When the face was unclear, he seemed like a “moodily handsome guy.” Now that the face was visible, he was genuinely handsome.

Just… familiar somehow.

“Not bad, my friend eats well!” Wei Tingquan patted Xie Jixing’s back, whispering, “Is this your boyfriend?”

Xie Jixing: ???

Why are you so certain about my attributes?

“This is my boss,” he said helplessly to Wei Tingquan.

Boss?

Wei Tingquan tried to open his tired, slightly puffy eyes and carefully studied the person in front of him. The more he looked, the more familiar he seemed.

Which company did Xie Jixing belong to?

It seemed to be Tingyun Entertainment.

And Tingyun’s boss was… the actor Qian!

“Oh, so it’s a senior!” Wei Tingquan suddenly became respectful.

He had debuted relatively late, just missing Qian Shuyun’s prime era. Now, suddenly meeting him like this felt unreal, as if a TV idol had appeared in front of him—and he happened to be his good friend’s boyfriend.

“Hello, Boss!” Sleep-deprived and shocked by the revelation of Qian’s identity, Wei Tingquan’s mind was a bit muddled. “Boss will one day become your boyfriend.”

What am I even saying?!

Wei Tingquan’s voice gradually lowered as he forced a laugh to fill the awkward silence. “I’m… familiar with this procedure… hehe… heheh.”

Then he drifted to the door, letting out an exaggerated yawn. “Ha! So sleepy, I’m going to catch up on some sleep. Xingxing, Xingxing man… ah, no, Boss, goodbye!”

Wei Tingquan let him go. As long as I’m not there, the awkwardness is someone else’s problem.

The “other” awkward people glanced at each other.

Qian Shuyun broke the silence first. “This little handsome guy is pretty skilled.”

Which company did Wei Tingquan belong to again? Next time, maybe we should invite his boss out and learn some tips face-to-face.

Xie Jixing: …

Crazy, all of them are crazy!

With the room in such a state, it was clearly unlivable. Qian Shuyun helped Xie Jixing pack his things and booked another hotel.

Director Yang had assumed that after everyone’s socializing the previous night, the crew could have half a day off in the morning. But when he woke up, he heard that the male lead—who also happened to be a financier—was trying to kidnap the third male lead.

Though the kidnapping failed, the male lead had ended up sending himself straight to the police station.

Director Yang felt like the sky was falling. He should never have accepted this project!

The police quickly reviewed the hotel surveillance and found it had been tampered with. Following the trail, they traced the bribed security guard and, along with Zhao Chaoran’s and the kidnappers’ communication records, confirmed the crime.

The only remaining question concerned what happened after the kidnappers entered Room 714. From the time the surveillance was destroyed to when the police arrived, at least two hours had passed. In those two hours, the four experienced criminals not only failed to kidnap Xie Jixing, they didn’t even get into the bedroom.

What were they doing?

When the five people woke up, no one could explain what had happened, as if that segment of memory had been erased.

Forensics extracted further evidence—footprints and fingerprints—showing that besides the five of them, no other humans had entered the 714 living area during that time.

Even stranger, one of the kidnappers had step tracking enabled. The police found that night he had walked nearly 10,000 steps in that tiny room of less than five square meters.

Unexpectedly, after investigating with all kinds of technology, the truth closest to reality turned out to be what the cleaning lady had said.

Room 714 was truly haunted.

Having years of experience in policing, the team had encountered a few supernatural events, but they could only conclude that the kidnappers’ internal conflict solved the case and issued a notice online.

Ping’an H City: #Situation Report#

Recently, during the investigation of an illegal criminal case, Zhao (male, 26) and Huang (male, 37) were apprehended. All five involved have been administratively detained according to law, and the criminal facts have been verified.

Outside the film city, paparazzi had long been stationed. Such a big event immediately stirred them into action, and this year’s KPIs might just be fulfilled thanks to this.

When Zhao Chaoran and the kidnappers were taken away by police, the paparazzi snapped pictures and even inquired with hotel staff. This was major news—definitely worthy of a headline!

After the police announcement, they immediately bought trending spots online.

#Drama Crew Kidnapping Scandal: Male Lead Kidnaps Third Male Lead—Twisted Humanity or Moral Decay?#

The paparazzi even went live in the entry.

Xie Jixing had just woken up and watched while yawning.

On screen were two men wearing animal masks. The panda-headed man pointed at a heavily zoomed-in photo and exclaimed, “Everyone, take note! This man is Zhao Chaoran, the mastermind behind this kidnapping.”

“Since debuting, he’s only acted in a few terrible dramas. This time, the project has a strong creative team—he must have tried everything to reinvent himself.”

The monkey-headed sidekick chimed in naively, “That’s right, huh? But why kidnap the third male lead?”

The panda head, acting mysterious, played a video clip. “According to my investigation, it’s a matter of romance.”

“This young lady is a server at a hotel near the filming base. Let’s see what she has to say.”

The server excitedly recounted how one night, Zhao Chaoran harassed Jiang Yueli in a private room, and Xie Jixing heroically saved her, allegedly drinking 20 bottles of red wine alone!

The paparazzi concluded that Zhao Chaoran and Xie Jixing became romantic rivals over Jiang Yueli, who clearly preferred Xie Jixing. In a fit of anger, Zhao Chaoran attempted to kidnap Xie Jixing as punishment.

Xie Jixing, watching: Huh?

I suggest you all change careers. Stop investigating.

Riding the wave of the paparazzi live coverage, two new trending topics emerged:

#Xie Jixing and Jiang Yueli: Forbidden Sibling Romance.#

#Xie Jixing, Zhao Chaoran: Who’s Really the Third Male Lead?#

Xie Jixing rolled his eyes. What nonsense is this?

Why does my first post-debut scandal sound so strange?!

【Xie Jixing and Jiang Yueli???】

【I suspect the paparazzi are trolling me. Their ages are close, but the vibe feels like a generational gap.】

【Charging in with random theories—fierce queen and innocent puppy?】

【Hahaha, our Xingxing hasn’t even done pure love stories yet, and he’s already the forbidden third male lead!】

This ridiculous discussion finally ended with a post from Jiang Yueli:

Jiang Yueli: @Paparazzi, do you have manners? Did you ask for my opinion before assigning roles to them?

Fans in the comments laughed.

【Hahaha, Queen behavior!】

【Xie Jixing should at least be titled a consort, Zhao Chaoran, scrub toilets in the penal quarters!】

Discussions in the threads shifted elsewhere.

【Am I the only one paying attention to another issue? How many has Xie Jixing sent into the fray in recent months?】

【Now that you mention it: Ji, Xia, Duan, and now Zhao. Is he really here to be a celebrity in entertainment, or to clean up the industry?】

【Newcomers, digging into Xie Jixing’s past—living legend of entertainment, record verifiable.】

【Came from the paparazzi’s live broadcast—do you guys even know what really happened in the mysterious 714?!】

【Ahhh! I want to know too, heart-wrenching!】

【Guide → #Collection of Urban Legends I’ve Heard Over the Years.#】

Following the guide, it led to a compilation of supernatural events in chronological order.

The poster was a supernatural enthusiast who created a custom map of China’s cities, highlighting urban legend sites with events and main figures, and linking each to the full story—truly impressive.

As a result, the page had consistently high views and long-term top ranking on the forum.

Opening recent events:

【Hotel 714 Haunted Record. #Walking 10,000 Steps# Zhao Chaoran # Xie Jixing】

【Nanshia Bay Island Purification Ceremony. #Special Effects or Trick# Hisssss # Xie Jixing】

【Additional Nanshia Bay Island Scene. #The hard-to-find shocking live stream, does it really exist? # Duan Yanming # Xuan Caiyan # Xie Jixing】

【Escape Room Program: Celebrity Goes Mad On-Site. # Ji Jin # Xie Jixing】

…

Xie Jixing’s name was everywhere.

【Guys, this one is unspeakable!】

【And did you notice? Every time he escapes perfectly.】

【I plan to visit his Big Eye social account every day to pay respects.】

【Join the Wooden Fish Clan → #Xie Jixing Super Topic#, with your own electronic incense area.】

Although recently inactive with only two scandals, the membership of Xie Jixing’s Super Topic suddenly surged. Fans cleverly created a daily incense area, updated at midnight.

A long line of people queued below.

【Knock knock, grab today’s first electronic incense stick, pray for exam success.】

【Knock knock, pray for today’s offer!】

【Knock knock, too late, pray my cold heals quickly.】

Xie Jixing, tallying accounts, was surprised to find that the “faith points” he had spent twice on ten-thousand-gold flowers had mostly returned.

The male lead and financier couldn’t be released for now; even if he were, he likely couldn’t continue acting. This disaster-ridden crew halted again.

Director Yang’s face was full of stress blisters. He had invested a lot in this project and didn’t want to give up now.

But business required a bit of luck, and this crew had been extremely unlucky.

After being rejected by several companies, a funding call finally reached Qian Shuyun.

The crew had already paid half the actors’ fees, 70% of the wardrobe, props, and location rental costs were settled—most fixed expenses were covered.

If a good promotional channel and platform were available later, it would be a huge gain.

Tingyun Entertainment just happened to have both.

When Director Yang heard Tingyun was willing to invest, he nearly cried on the phone.

“Alright, alright, I’ll wait for you in H City to sign the contract.” He and Qian Shuyun had worked together before, acquaintances of sorts.

Previously it was all small sums; now it was a serious matter. “We’ll immediately recast the male lead. Zhao Chaoran’s previous acting wasn’t great either.”

“Or if you have someone suitable over at Tingyun, we can discuss that too.”

“I actually do have a candidate…” Qian Shuyun paused.

Yang, the director, immediately thought: Are they trying to push Xie Jixing out?

It wasn’t entirely impossible. If Zhao Chaoran played the male lead, this drama might at most reach a 60/100 score.

Xie Jixing, though not perfectly matching the crown prince’s age or appearance, could likely be made up to fit the role. He had a good attitude, was hardworking, and with proper training, might even reach a score of 75/100.

Director Yang had already prepared to agree, but Qian Shuyun hadn’t finished speaking.

Could it be a complete newcomer who couldn’t act at all? Yang wiped the sweat from his temple.

That would be hard to shoot.

He was just about to persuade Qian Shuyun when a voice came from over there: “Can I play this role?”

“Who… who?”