Chapter 2

Under Xue Chiying’s friendly gaze, Li You’s still-frightened eyes quickly swept over the woman before her.

Reflected in her pupils was a face identical to Xue Lanjing’s, wearing a gentle smile. Silky, shoulder-length black hair hung loosely around her, and several curved strands beside her forehead fluttered gently in the wind. Yet this person’s clothing was exceedingly strange. Her pale green blouse fluttered like a lotus leaf, but it hung from only two slender straps and looked precariously close to slipping off.

Moreover, there was no scar on her arm.

After waiting a long while without receiving an answer, Xue Chiying casually extended a hand as though they were already acquainted. “It doesn’t look like any production crew is filming nearby. Are you shooting a variety show? Is this a hidden-camera segment? Come on, get up first. The ground is dusty.”

Li You shook her head and did not accept her kindness.

Xue Chiying smiled awkwardly and slowly withdrew her hand. She turned and looked around behind her, but still saw no crew members responsible for filming. When she looked back, the young woman sitting on the ground had lowered her head and was clasping her hands together, seemingly deep in thought.

With one of them standing and the other sitting in complete stillness, Xue Chiying inevitably noticed what the woman was wearing.

The outfit resembled the attire of a Tang dynasty princess: a pale blue, wide-sleeved robe paired with a chest-high ruqun, its intricate gold-thread embroidery exceptionally fine… Judging by her costume, this woman must at least be playing an important supporting role.

Xue Chiying could not help recalling the immortal robe she had taken off just over half an hour ago.

Some High Immortal she had been.

She had even needed to borrow a lighter and singe off the loose threads herself.

Since this fellow actress did not need her help, Xue Chiying decided to stop meddling.

She had barely taken a few steps after turning away when she heard a rustling sound behind her. Looking back, she saw that the woman who had remained silent throughout had gotten up on her own. Their eyes met for only a second before the woman turned her face away, as though she did not want to look at her.

Xue Chiying rarely found anyone inexplicable, but at this moment, she did. She instinctively frowned, turned back, and continued walking. When she reached the small gate leading off the imperial avenue, she reached out and pushed open the wooden door. It creaked, and the footsteps following her nearby immediately stopped.

“…” In the ensuing silence, the person who had been tailing her for so long hurriedly and deliberately avoided her gaze. Amused, Xue Chiying could not help laughing. She turned around, leisurely planted her hands on her hips, and good-naturedly asked, “Are you going this way too?”

Li You slowly turned her face back. Her gaze drifted pensively over Xue Chiying’s face before she nodded.

Xue Chiying frowned and looked toward the city wall behind her.

Li You immediately straightened her back and drew in her arms defensively. She followed Xue Chiying’s gaze with equal vigilance, as though she were genuinely guarding against something.

She won’t speak, but she insists on following me? Could this be some elaborate prank show involving the entire film studio?

After thinking this, Xue Chiying lowered her gaze to the young woman’s profile not far away. She had a small face, large eyes, clear and fair skin, and a gentle, adorable appearance. She was extremely well suited to historical costumes Read on BaiLianTalesand obviously looked good on camera. But why had Xue Chiying never seen this actress before? Was she new to the film industry?

After failing to discover anything unusual, Li You relaxed and turned back. When she found Xue Chiying staring at her meaningfully, she immediately pursed her lips. Her arms, which she had just begun to lower, swiftly rose again to shield herself securely.

What was that supposed to mean?! Xue Chiying’s eyes widened, then blinked. She was acting as though I were about to devour her! She’s clearly the one who won’t stop following me, all right?!

Once they passed through the small gate, the view before them suddenly opened up. Sunlight spilled across a lush green lawn, where a long row of fan-support roll-up banners had been erected, all bearing the words “Best Wishes for the Start of Filming.”

Long accustomed to such sights, Xue Chiying put her sunglasses back on. Out of politeness, she turned around and smiled. “Um… young lady, I have to go now.”

The young lady looked hesitant, as though she had something to say.

The corners of Xue Chiying’s lips curved beneath her sunglasses. She tilted her head, patiently conveying, Go ahead.

When Li You had first awakened, she had not noticed her surroundings in time. Only after walking this far did she finally realize that something was wrong—she had jumped from the western side of Zhenguan Hall and believed she had awakened soon afterward. Emerging uninjured was already strange enough, but in just a few brief moments, no matter what methods Xue Lanjing might have used, Li You should not have found herself in such a completely unfamiliar place. Thinking about it carefully, the person before her resembled Xue Lanjing and wore bizarre clothing, yet she had greeted Li You with a smile throughout. Her temperament was the complete opposite of Xue Lanjing’s usual disposition.

As a child, Li You had once read a storybook entitled Record of Rebirth in the Netherworld. According to the book, the Netherworld was a place through which all the dead had to pass on their way to rebirth. It was strange and extraordinary, and its scenery and objects differed from those of the mortal realm. The ghosts who guided souls often assumed the form of whatever a person had feared most during their lifetime. They would bear the face of an old acquaintance but possess an entirely different temperament, using illusions to lead the dead onward.

There were two taboos on this journey.

The first was allowing fear to arise within one’s heart. If terror disturbed the mind, the guiding ghost would become displeased and hinder one’s reincarnation. The second was speaking too much. If one uttered reckless or disastrous words, wicked thoughts would take root and sever the path to rebirth.

Thus, upon entering the Netherworld, one should compose oneself, remain silent, clear one’s mind, and follow. Only after completing the appointed journey could one cross onto the proper path of reincarnation.

Li You suddenly felt dazed. She quietly observed the gentle, smiling woman before her and wondered whether this person might be the soul-guiding ghost from the storybook, transformed into Xue Lanjing’s likeness. If so… Li You looked at the unfamiliar objects around her. Could this already be the Netherworld? Was this a trial on her journey to rebirth?

At the thought, she swallowed and suppressed the fear in her heart. After searching from side to side, she picked up a small piece of stone from the ground. Taking a deep breath, she forced down her pounding, drumlike heartbeat and quickly walked up to “Xue Lanjing.”

She gave “Xue Lanjing” a long, searching look, then crouched down and used the pointed stone to write, stroke by stroke.

Behind her dark sunglasses, Xue Chiying’s eyes and brows scrunched together in confusion. Even after staring for a long time, she could neither see clearly nor understand what the woman was writing. She had no choice but to remove her sunglasses again, walk around behind the woman, and view the complicated-looking words right-side up.

Stricken with illness… lost my voice… unable to speak?

Xue Chiying blinked several times in confusion. The person crouching on the ground turned her head and gazed pitifully up at her like a helpless little animal.

“…What does that mean?” Xue Chiying asked hesitantly.

The person on the ground knitted her brows, turned back, and heavily circled the words “lost my voice” with the pointed stone before looking at her again.

Xue Chiying slowly folded her arms. The smile gradually vanished from her face, and her expression grew somewhat serious as she recalled the good-Samaritan tests that had become especially popular online over the past two years. She looked behind her and then to either side, but read the original at bailiantales.com still could not find the cameras. Yet the other woman’s string of nonsensical actions also reminded her of the unscrupulous production crew she had encountered not long ago, who had ultimately played dumb and refused to pay her. Her voice cooled as she looked into Li You’s eyes.

“Fellow actress, I completely understand that when you’re filming, you need to surprise passersby and capture their reactions. But this is a film studio, after all, and these clothes I’m wearing… Maybe you can’t tell? But I’m signed with an agency, and I’m a professional actress. If you need me to keep cooperating with your filming like this, then you’ll have to—” She slightly raised her right hand and rubbed her thumb against her index finger.

Li You found the entire speech utterly bewildering. She could not even understand Xue Chiying’s gesture. Looking somewhat confused, she raised her hand and imitated the movement Xue Chiying had made a second earlier.

Xue Chiying said, “Exactly. Of course you’ll have to pay me.”

Money?

Li You lowered her head and searched herself. The only thing she found was the amber peace pendant she had clutched tightly in her hand during the fall, a gift from her mother on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony. She closed her fingers around it, then removed the openwork jade pendant carved with a crane pattern from her waist. It was a token symbolizing her status as a princess, but it no longer served any purpose. Without hesitation, she held it up and offered it to Xue Chiying.

Xue Chiying accepted it. A few seconds later, she looked exceedingly surprised.

She knew a little about jade from her acting work. The pendant had an even structure and a fine texture, while its grain possessed a smooth, translucent luster as though it had been steeped in water. In short, one glance was enough to tell that it was outrageously expensive.

She looked up and asked Li You in confusion, “What do you mean by giving me this?”

Li You made the gesture Xue Chiying had just used to represent “money.”

Xue Chiying froze. After a long moment, she stuffed the jade pendant back into Li You’s hand and said ​bailiantales.com​with a smile, “You really like joking around, don’t you? That’s enough now, young lady. Let me speak seriously. If your show truly needs the footage we filmed today, then you’ll have to ask the production team to contact me. It’s fine if the crew can’t appear right now. They can call me after you finish filming.”

As she spoke, she took out her phone.

Li You’s brows knitted together. She discreetly took half a step back and cautiously stared at the silver object in Xue Chiying’s hand.

The silver object was bordered in black, one side pale silver and the other a deep black resembling a still lake.

The next moment, Li You’s pupils dilated. The surface of the lake lit up, and reflected upon it was… Xue Lanjing’s face once again, holding a brown-haired Persian dog in her arms.

“You probably don’t have your phone with you right now, do you? What’s your number? I’ll give you a quick call,” Xue Chiying said.

Li You glanced at the black lake, whose reflection had already changed again. Filled with astonishment, she lowered her head and pursed her lips in silence, afraid that it might steal away her soul.

Xue Chiying lowered her arm and swept back her hair with her other hand. She sighed softly, wondering why merely asking for a phone number had made the woman look so aggrieved.

Forget it. The thought drifted through her mind. Then, imitating what Li You had done earlier, she picked up the stone from the ground and quickly wrote down a string of numbers.

After standing, she stroked Li You’s hair like an older sister and used the last of her patience to explain, “It looks like your company has some kind of rule too, so I won’t make you break it. The numbers on the ground are my phone number. Anyway, contact me if you need the footage of me. Remember to erase those numbers later. I have something else to do, so I can’t stay and talk. Bye.”

After speaking, Xue Chiying gave Li You’s shoulder a reassuring pat, turned around, and hurried away!

When she returned to her rented apartment, packed cardboard boxes covered the floor.

Xue Chiying flopped facedown onto the bed, took out her phone, and continued complaining to her friends in the group chat.

Make Money This Year: [Exactly. I’m ninety percent sure they were filming a variety show. She kept playing charades with me the entire way and even wrote traditional Chinese characters on the ground. Is that supposed to make the show entertaining? Where’s the appeal? Or am I just getting old?]

AAA Office Worker Qu: [You’ve already finished filming? Didn’t you travel there from Shanghai just this morning?]

Make Money This Year: [It was one shot. Five takes, and I was done.]

AAA Office Worker Qu: [How much did they pay?]

Make Money This Year: [Fifty yuan and a boxed lunch.]

Please Buy One!!: [Oh my God, fifty? You’d be better off handing out flyers, Sister Xue!]

AAA Office Worker Qu: [+1]

Make Money This Year: [/Cleaver/ At least it’s a drama that’ll air on satellite television.]

Please Buy One!!: [Aren’t you afraid they’ll cut you out completely?]

Make Money This Year: [/Smile/ Shut up, Router.]

Xue Chiying tossed her phone aside, rolled onto her back, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

On the ceiling… was a flying insect.

Xue Chiying sat up in a second. Her head swiveled back and forth several times like a rattle drum until she locked onto the insect’s position. Moving quietly, she retrieved an electric mosquito swatter, carefully climbed onto the bed, and swung—crackle! Beneath the soft light, she stood motionless, smiling with satisfaction at the insect’s corpse like a bloodthirsty killer.

Her phone rang, buzzing against the blanket.

Xue Chiying stepped barefoot onto the floor, set the electric mosquito swatter aside, and picked up her phone. An unfamiliar number was calling, but its registered location was within the city.

Her first reaction was to raise an eyebrow. “Hello?”

“Hello. Are you Qile’s older sister?”

“Qile? I don’t know anyone by that name… You must have the wrong number.”

“Huh? She wrote this number down for me. Please hold on.” The woman’s voice moved away for a moment. Xue Chiying heard a very quiet conversation: “Are you sure this is the number?” and “Is she your sister?” After more than ten seconds, the voice returned. “Hello?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“She asked me to tell you, ‘jade pendant.’”

“What?”

“Your younger sister is probably… unable to speak, right? I’m not sure whether I understood her correctly either. She wrote ‘jade pendant’ on a piece of paper and asked me to pass the message on to you.”

Xue Chiying froze for a second, then remembered. “Is she wearing a historical costume?”

“Yes, yes! A blue historical costume!” The voice on the other end brightened with delight.

For one second, the thought flashed through Xue Chiying’s mind: Could this also be part of the show? She cleared her throat and asked, “Oh. Is she beside you right now? And you are…?”

“This is a Lawson convenience store.”

“What?”

When Xue Chiying hurried back to the area near the film studio, the young woman in historical costume was sitting all alone on the step outside the convenience store. The people continually coming and going behind her had no effect whatsoever on this “princess,” who had curled herself into a ball and sat there hugging her arms, lost in thought.

The ends of the princess’s robes trailed entirely across the ground and had become gray with dust, looking just as dejected as the princess’s lowered eyelashes.

Xue Chiying approached the princess without hurrying and stopped before her, intending to ask what exactly was going on. But when the princess heard her approach and raised her head, the moonlight lay over her eyes like a thin veil. Her eyes were rimmed with red, her eyelashes glistened, and her pupils resembled black grapes dropped into a pool, trembling with a luminous shimmer.

Although this undoubtedly had absolutely nothing to do with her, a strange sense of guilt suddenly arose in Xue Chiying’s heart.

Of course, she suppressed that guilt within a second or two.

She looked down into the other woman’s tear-filled eyes and vaguely wondered whether she could truly have encountered, by sheer coincidence, a child with mental health problems who could not speak and had become separated from her family.

Calling her a child was not meant to be condescending. Xue Chiying had only just celebrated her thirtieth birthday. Although she was not old herself, this child’s face was clearly several years younger than hers. Exaggerating slightly, she looked like a high school student. Xue Chiying felt there might be a generation gap between them.

The best solution right now was naturally to call the police immediately. When someone was lost, the police would certainly have better ways of handling it than she did, and there would be no risk of anyone pinning the responsibility on her.

Yet after a moment of silence, Xue Chiying crouched down and rested both hands on Li You’s knees.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” she asked softly.