Chapter 340
Chapter 340
I had driven the female Ghost away through sheer verbal abuse.
Seventh Master had taught me this method.
People said Ghosts feared vicious people. In the countryside, those who encountered such situations but did not know how to expel a Ghost could only resort to this approach.
But it did not always work. Everything depended on the Ghost’s temperament. Sometimes the curses only enraged it further.
Fortunately, my gamble paid off again, and I cursed the Ghost into fleeing.
Still, cursing someone was exhausting. My whole head was drenched in sweat.
“Master Chen, is she all right now?”
“She’ll be fine, but she’ll need several days to recover. She probably won’t be able to continue filming.”
The director’s expression turned complicated when he heard my answer.
Perhaps even he no longer wanted to keep filming. The pressure was too great when accidents could happen at any moment.
But for the sake of money, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue.
Someone soon carried Zhao Xingyun away to rest.
Lu Yihao no longer continued his argument with Anning and me. Looking flustered, he left with his assistants.
I walked over and helped the crew member who had fallen earlier to his feet.
The man looked deeply uneasy. He was the one who had stumbled out and startled the female Ghost. Otherwise, I would already have learned her identity.
I pulled him aside and asked, “Did you do that deliberately?”
He hurriedly denied it. “Master, I really didn’t. Someone pushed me from behind.”
I asked, “Who was standing behind you?”
He looked conflicted, as if he did not dare name the person.
“Was it Lu Yihao?”
My expression turned grave. “If it was, just nod. This concerns the safety of everyone on the production.”
After hesitating repeatedly, he nodded.
…
In a hotel room, the director treated me with far greater courtesy this time. He offered me a cigarette and even lit it for me.
“Master Chen, we owe you a great deal for what happened tonight. Please forgive our earlier neglect.”
He sighed. “I’ve been completely overwhelmed lately.”
I told him it was fine. “I more or less understand what is happening here, but I may not be able to resolve it.”
The director frowned and quickly asked, “Why? You seem extremely capable. Can’t you drive the Ghost away once and for all? I make films about these things, so I understand a little. As long as you expel the Ghost and stop it from troubling us, that will be enough.”
I laid my cards on the table. “Lu Yihao brought this Ghost here. Do you dare offend him?”
The director and assistant director exchanged looks, then stared at me in shock. “Lu Yihao brought it? Is he trying to harm us?”
I shook my head. “More precisely, Lu Yihao provoked the Ghost, and it followed him onto the production. None of these accidents would have happened without him.”
“I was about to learn the female Ghost’s identity when one of your crew members suddenly rushed out. I questioned him afterward. He said Lu Yihao pushed him.”
Lu Yihao clearly had a guilty conscience and did not want us to uncover the female Ghost’s identity.
The director frowned, lost in thought.
The assistant director advised, “Director Hong, worst case, we abandon the movie. No matter what, we can’t continue working with Lu Yihao. We’ve all had to endure his attitude every day just to secure his father-in-law’s investment, and now this has happened.”
“You already had to pay compensation after the second female lead died. If anyone else gets hurt, you’ll pay out more than you can ever earn.”
The director sighed, his face filled with conflict. Looking at me, he said, “Master Chen, can you explain exactly what’s going on?”
I nodded. “The Infant Spirit that first possessed Wu Yiyi was a child who died before birth. It is the child of the female Ghost who possessed Zhao Xingyun. The two Ghosts are mother and child.”
“The female Ghost had no intention of harming Lu Yihao, but she harbored intense hatred for the actresses on set. That was a woman’s jealousy at work, which means she must have had a relationship with Lu Yihao while she was alive.”
“The Infant Spirit would not have attacked Lu Yihao for no reason either, unless Lu Yihao was personally responsible for its death before it could be born.”
“The truth is already obvious. Lu Yihao impregnated a woman, refused to accept responsibility, and then did something that caused her to miscarry and lose the baby. The woman died as well. Her wronged spirit refused to disperse and has haunted him ever since.”
The director cursed furiously after hearing my explanation.
Sun Yuan said, “Lu Yihao has always been a scumbag. When he was an internet celebrity, someone exposed him for sleeping with a fan and making her abort the child. His public-relations team suppressed the story.”
“After entering the entertainment industry, he was exposed for sleeping with fans again, and the story was suppressed again. It wasn’t until last year that definitive evidence emerged. That finally destroyed his career.”
“If he hadn’t attached himself to a wealthy heiress, he probably wouldn’t even qualify as an eighteenth-tier celebrity now.”
Holy shit. He was addicted to sleeping with fans.
No wonder everyone wanted to become an internet celebrity or a star these days.
“There’s something else strange about this,” I said.
“I’ve read the script for your movie. The female Ghost quarreled with the male lead after catching him in bed with another female classmate. Later, the male lead returned to the old location for a class reunion. The female Ghost killed every woman at the gathering, then targeted the female lead and the male lead. When the truth finally emerged, everyone learned there had never been a female Ghost. The second female lead’s brother had been avenging her.”
The plot might have been cliche, but it was clearly taking a veiled jab at Lu Yihao.
“Don’t you think the role was tailor-made for him?”
“The male lead is practically identical to Lu Yihao. Who wrote the script?”
The director leaped to his feet in shock. “Our screenwriter, Su Yi. I’ve worked with him for more than two years. He writes almost all our horror scripts.”
I said with complete confidence, “There is definitely something wrong with your screenwriter.”
The director raked a hand through his hair and hurriedly ordered Sun Yuan to bring Su Yi over.
About ten minutes later, Sun Yuan returned with a bespectacled young man.
The man was around thirty, with refined, scholarly features. When he entered, he clearly looked guilty.
“Director, did you need me?”
“Su Yi, Master Chen has questions for you. Just answer him honestly.”
Su Yi froze, then looked at me nervously. “Hello. What would you like to ask?”
“Are you married?” I asked, looking into his eyes.
He nodded. “Yes. Why are you asking?”
I changed the question. “Do you have a younger sister?”
He paused for two seconds, then shook his head. “No.”
I said thoughtfully, “Then it seems you do. Your younger sister… was she once in a relationship with Lu Yihao?”
Su Yi did not answer. He lowered his head and stared at the floor.
“So they were.” I sighed and said, “You should tell us the truth. Did something happen to your sister?”