Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I walked over and pressed the button on the alarm clock, my expression grim.

“I’m the one who set this. When the hour of the Rat arrives, the fierce ghosts cry out, and the Pen Spirit summons me into the mirror’s reflection.”

“Once it’s past eleven, the entity summoned by the Pen Spirit won’t be an ordinary ghost-it will be at least a Malignant Spirit. Stop filming immediately.”

Silence fell over the set for a moment before Ye Ran suddenly slapped the table and burst into laughter.

“No, Director, where did you find this ‘immortal’? Is she mentally ill?”

The Director looked like he had a massive headache, rubbing his temples with his fingers.

“I’m done with Old Zhou. Someone get in here and take her out. Throw this damn alarm clock away too.”

“What was he thinking, putting an alarm clock on my table? Where’s Xiao Zhao? You’re an assistant, not a freeloader-why weren’t you watching her?”

Assistant Zhao bowed and scraped, apologizing to the Director. He grabbed the alarm clock in one hand and my arm in the other, dragging me toward the exit.

“Qiao Moyu, sister, I’ll call you Big Sis, okay? Just stop causing trouble.”

Xiao Zhao pushed me out the door. I refused to leave, leaning against the doorframe to peer inside.

The filming location consisted of two interconnected girls’ dorm rooms. One side was packed with lighting equipment, cameras, and various staff members, while the other side had two bunk beds pushed against the corner.

At the square table in the middle, Ye Ran and Li Ying had the backs of their hands crossed, completing the final ritual for the Pen Spirit. Both kept their heads down, chanting under their breaths:

“Pen Spirit, Pen Spirit, you are my past life, I am your present. If you wish to continue our fate, please draw a circle on the paper.”

As soon as the words left their lips, a sudden gust of yin wind swept past the window, causing the curtains to bulge outward.

A moment later, the wind died down and the curtains fell back into place. However, a small lump remained, as if someone were standing behind the fabric. No one on set seemed to notice.

Ye Ran and Li Ying were fully focused on the pen in their hands. The tip began to slide slowly across the paper, seemingly out of their control. Just as it finished a single horizontal stroke, Ye Ran shrieked.

“I didn’t move it! Holy crap, Li Ying, was that you?”

“But your fingers are so relaxed… I didn’t feel you using any strength. Could it really be the Pen Spirit?”

“Cut! Little Ye, the lines were good, but your eyes were a bit too wide-it looked a little exaggerated. Let’s rein it in and go again.”

They performed the ritual several more times. During the fourth take, the fluorescent lights overhead suddenly flickered. The studio lights next to the camera equipment went out with a loud ‘pop,’ plunging the entire set into absolute darkness.

“What’s going on?! You’re all useless! You can’t even get the simplest things right! Stagehands! Go check the wiring!”

The Director began to lose his temper, shouting at everyone. The crowd fell into a brief state of chaos. A stagehand rushed outside to check the circuit breaker, and a few minutes later, the lights in the room flickered back on.

The Director suppressed his anger. “Continue filming. Huh? Where’s Little Ye?”

He slammed the script in his hand onto the table in a rage.

“What is this young lady playing at? Does she want to film or not? Why are you all just standing there? Go find her!”

Assistant Zhao was about to rush out when a staff member by the door weakly raised their hand.

“I was standing right here the whole time. I swear, except for the guy checking the wires, no one has left this room. Ms. Ye must still be inside.”

The Director was so angry he almost laughed. He shrugged, spreading his hands wide.

“What is this? Playing hide-and-seek? Is this fun?”

He scanned the room and spotted the bulge behind the curtains. With a cold sneer, he strode over and yanked the curtain back with force.

“Ye Ran! What the hell are you doing?!”

A girl stood behind the curtain, her long hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a white nightgown. Her back was to us as she pressed her forehead against the wall, thumping her head against it rhythmically while muttering quietly to herself.

The Director jumped back in shock.

“Li Ying? Are you crazy? Why are you hiding back here?”

Li Ying looked up, her face full of confusion. “Huh? I… I don’t know.”

The Director rolled his eyes, too furious for words. Behind him, Assistant Zhao shouted, “Director! Ms. Ye is over here!”

On the bunk bed in the corner, a girl lay with her back to the crowd, her long hair spread across the bed like seaweed.