Qi Ningzhou paced back and forth outside the apartment, feeling uneasy.
Zong Qi had been inside for almost an hour. The door had remained closed, and there was no sound coming from inside, making him increasingly anxious.
Not only was the person inside his new friend, but also his only friend.
The celestial master grew more and more nervous, tempted to go in with his peach wood sword to check, but worried that his involvement might make things worse. He was stuck in indecision.
Just as he was caught in this dilemma, the door finally opened.
The black-haired young man stepped out, unharmed but with a peculiar expression.
Qi Ningzhou sighed in relief. “How did it go?”
Zong Qi’s expression was hard to describe. “Master Qi’s talisman worked well. The vengeful spirit has been significantly weakened, but it hasn’t been completely exorcised.”
The celestial master wasn’t surprised by this result. “Sigh, it shows my skills are still lacking.”
The black-haired young man carefully watched Qi Ningzhou out of the corner of his eye, relieved to see that there was no suspicion on his face.
In fact, things had gone surprisingly smoothly.
Before going in, Zong Qi had been focused on exorcising the ghost. But after coming out, he had ended up contracting an employee and forming an alliance with the ghost.
The system informed him that their relationship was now like that of a boss and an employee, with the contracted ghost unable to harm Zong Qi, the boss.
This was great!
Earlier, Zong Qi had been worried that if the red-clad ghost wasn’t fully exorcised, he would have to find a new place to live after the impromptu filming. But now, with a contracted employee, he didn’t even need to look for a new apartment.
How could he pass up such a good deal?
Qi Ningzhou was unaware of this. “Indeed, I can feel that the Yin energy has decreased a lot, but a vengeful spirit is still a vengeful spirit.”
He looked at Zong Qi. “Since the vengeful spirit hasn’t been exorcised, are you going to look for another haunted house?”
Qi Ningzhou had already considered this.
Although Zong Qi had a constitution that repelled ghosts, personal preference still mattered. If he was afraid of ghosts, he definitely couldn’t live in this apartment.
As a friend, Qi Ningzhou had naturally taken this responsibility upon himself. Unfortunately, his efforts in finding another haunted house had not been fruitful, and apart from this high-priced commission, he had no other options.
The celestial master began to seriously think about finding a solution, worried about his friend’s living situation.
“Oh, that.”
Zong Qi opened his left hand and clenched his right fist, tapping his left palm. “Actually, after walking around inside, I realized that ghosts aren’t that scary when you can’t see them, hahaha.”
With his impromptu performance, Qi Ningzhou’s doubts were dispelled.
As a celestial master whose job was to catch ghosts, he didn’t think there was anything to fear, especially for someone without the ability to see ghosts. He accepted this explanation without suspicion.
The celestial master nodded. “If that’s the case, it’s best. If you live there, the vengeful spirit might be automatically exorcised within a month.”
Zong Qi smiled, apologizing in his heart.
If possible, he didn’t like lying, especially to a friend who genuinely cared about him. But the secret of his director system had to be kept.
He had considered trying to contract humans after signing the red-clad ghost, but making movies was dangerous. He couldn’t drag his friend into danger.
So, he couldn’t tell. At least, not yet.
“If anything happens, just call me.”
Qi Ningzhou re-sheathed his peach wood sword. “Or you can come stay at the temple where I’m temporarily residing. The head priest is very kind and won’t refuse.”
Zong Qi was flattered. “That would be too much trouble. It’s fine, I’m really not afraid.”
The celestial master observed the expression on the black-haired young man’s face, and after confirming there was no issue, he reluctantly left.
Zong Qi watched the hem of the Taoist robe disappear around the corner of the elevator before turning back to the apartment.
Before entering, he carefully removed all the talismans from the door, as they looked quite creepy.
“Alright! This will be my home for the next six months!”
Moments later, Zong Qi stood by the large floor-to-ceiling window, arms outstretched, gazing at the shimmering sea below and the small white sails in the distance, feeling that life was beautiful.
With such a good deal, Zong Qi felt like he had hit the jackpot.
The apartment was spacious, conveniently located, secure, and most importantly, comfortable. The interior was filled with high-end furnishings, and the sofa was so large it could fit four or five Zong Qis. Even if he had to clean it himself, it wouldn’t diminish his happiness.
“Come help with the cleaning, Little Red!”
Even seeing the red-clad ghost floating in mid-air didn’t dampen Zong Qi’s good mood.
No boss in the world couldn’t see their employees. So, when he signed his first employee, the director system thoughtfully opened his basic Yin-Yang Eyes.
Now, Zong Qi could see Little Red completely.
Little Red.
The new name Zong Qi had given the red-clad ghost.
Zong Qi sincerely suggested, “Little Red, you can drape your hair in front when you’re idle. No need to show your whole face. It might scare people.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The ghost stared at him with those pale eyes, her rotting flesh rolling like a liquid, which was horrifying.
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Indeed, after signing his first employee, the director’s homepage fully opened the employee section for Zong Qi.
However, the system also subtly hinted that his authority as a director was greater than he imagined. Due to the lack of employees, he couldn’t fully direct a movie yet. He had to join existing crews for now, scout, and recruit suitable actors. Once he had enough actors, he could choose a background and shoot his own film.
Zong Qi was very familiar with this process. Film school graduates usually had to work on crews for a few years before directing their own projects. So, he wasn’t in a hurry.
After signing Little Red, the director system informed him that the D-level employee lacked a horror movie actor system, so it was automatically bound to the 【Horror Movie Actor ver2.0 Employee Edition】.
“So there’s a horror movie actor system besides the director system?”
Zong Qi had suspected the existence of actors when he first saw the director privileges, but he hadn’t expected to find a clue here.
He wanted to communicate with Little Red about the actor system to understand the differences between the two, but unfortunately, his new employee seemed uncooperative. After making a horrible sound from her throat, she flicked her red dress and vanished into the air.
Coincidentally, the shooting time displayed on Zong Qi’s pupils reached zero.
【The impromptu short film shooting time is over. Remaining attempts: 0】
【Your final scores—Scream Value: 1050, Script Exploration Progress: 85%, Surviving Actors: 1】
【Calculating your rating, please wait】
【Note: Ratings are divided into six levels: S, A, B, C, D, E, based on three core metrics and script difficulty. E is failing, and S earns extra rewards】
【This impromptu short film rating: B】
【You have received 500 points】
“Five hundred points, that’s a fortune.”
Zong Qi’s eyes lit up.
Converted to money, 500 points equaled 5000 yuan.
But after witnessing the horror movie director system’s ruthlessness, Zong Qi didn’t dare to exchange all the points for cash at once. The next draw from the shop required exactly 500 points, and if he spent them all now and encountered danger later, he’d be in big trouble.
Today was only Wednesday, and his streaming platform wouldn’t settle until Friday.
Until then, Zong Qi only had a few dozen yuan to his name, not enough to pay the overdue utility bills for the apartment.
After hesitating, he exchanged 100 points.
【Your exchange is complete】
Sure enough, the next second, he received a payment notification on his phone.
Soon after, the apartment lights turned on. After Little Red’s protest, Zong Qi had to sheepishly turn off the upstairs lights and grabbed a broom to start cleaning again.
As he bent down to wipe the table, a piercing ringtone shattered the silence.
Zong Qi took off his gloves, contemplating hanging up if it was a spam call. However, the moment he saw the name displayed on his phone, he straightened up immediately.
Of course, it was the Academic Affairs Office of Jiangzhou University calling.
If Zong Qi still wanted his diploma, he couldn’t afford to ignore this call.
“Hello, is this Zong Qi? Remember to come to the Academic Affairs Office tomorrow afternoon to pay your retake fees.”
“Okay, thank you, teacher.”
Zong Qi hung up the phone, feeling a sense of doom.
He recalled his performance in the Aesthetics Appreciation class.
He hadn’t skipped class, played games, or shown a lack of enthusiasm in class. The most he could be faulted for was a lack of innate aesthetic sense, and he had a decent relationship with the teacher.
Typically, students who needed to extend their graduation due to missing credits only had to take the final exam for their major courses. However, Zong Qi was missing credits for a practical course, so he had to discuss specifics with the teacher.
But according to Jiangzhou University’s tradition, as long as students showed effort and submitted their reports obediently for practical courses, teachers would usually pass them with a blind eye.
“Hopefully it won’t be too difficult; extending my graduation by a year is already exhausting.”
The next day, Zong Qi slept in and took the subway to Jiangzhou University to pay his retake fees.
Before leaving, he thoughtfully asked Xiao Hong if she needed him to bring anything back, only to be met with a door slamming shut by a gust of wind.
Oh well, he thought, maybe he’ll pick up some snacks on the way. After all, he prided himself on being a considerate boss.
With his hands in his pockets, Zong Qi walked cheerfully.
“Ding ding ding—”
As he walked out of the Academic Affairs Office, the class bell rang, and soon after, a flood of students poured out of the teaching buildings. Some were heading back to their dorms, others were rushing to their next class, creating a sea of heads on the road.
Summer was still clinging on, with the bright sun casting scorching rays from above. Amidst the cicadas’ buzz and the leafy shadows, patches of sunlight dotted the asphalt, creating a shimmering path.
Sunlight fell on the young man’s hair, blurring his shoulder-length black locks. The white shirt he wore also glowed, making him appear clean and transparent, like his entire being.
“Look over there, wow!”
“I haven’t seen him on the confession wall before. Which department is he from?”
“Obviously, he’s a freshman in the Performing Arts Department!”
Many people had the same thought as they looked at his slender figure.
The students in the Performing Arts Department often had above-average looks, with handsome men and beautiful women. Every year, the campus beauties and hunks were almost always from their ranks.
The black-haired young man was good-looking, but in the grand scheme of things, he wasn’t the most outstanding. However, his clean and pure aura was particularly striking.
Zong Qi paid no attention to the whispers, heading straight to the film school’s building, completely unaware that the juniors and sophomores had pegged him as a new student.
It wasn’t surprising, given how busy Zong Qi had been during his four years at university.
When filling out his college application, he had only applied to Jiangzhou University, opting out of trying for the prestigious Capital University, even though his scores gave him a good chance.
Due to his grandmother’s illness, he had requested to be a day student, commuting between the hospital and school every day, and sleeping on a makeshift bed beside her hospital bed at night.
So, apart from attending classes during the day, Zong Qi was rarely seen on campus. He didn’t join any clubs or organizations and frequently took leave from various gatherings. It was normal for the students not to recognize him. In fact, Zong Qi himself could barely name a few classmates besides the ones he interacted with regularly.
Feeling anxious, Zong Qi knocked on the office door.
“You rascal!”
Professor Cheng Xiu, seeing who it was, blew his mustache and glared.
The elderly professor, with his white hair but sharp mind, picked up a rolled-up paper and tapped it on the young man’s head.
“How dare you skip the makeup exam I offered you?”
With so many students each year, especially in large cross-major courses, the elderly professors who were rehired usually didn’t remember the students’ names.
But Zong Qi was an exception, a standout oddity. He was remarkably devoid of aesthetic sense, yet he actively participated in class, making Professor Cheng remember him despite his declining memory.
However, despite Zong Qi’s familiarity, it couldn’t save him from his dismal practical course grade.
Acting on his conscience, Professor Cheng had failed him and given him another chance to retake the exam. According to Jiangzhou University’s rules, a practical course retake had to be completed within a month of the semester start to pass.
Unfortunately, Zong Qi’s grandmother received a critical illness notice from the hospital, preventing him from taking the retake. Missing the retake meant he had to redo the course.
“Please stop, Professor. You’re going to make me dumb.”
Zong Qi, adopting a particularly repentant attitude, covered his head with his hands, looking both cowardly and obedient.
“I know I was wrong, really know!”
Professor Cheng couldn’t help but be softened by his attitude.
The old man snorted and stopped his actions.
To lighten his load, Zong Qi received scholarships every year, and the department knew about his family situation. The old professor understood without Zong Qi having to explain.
However, the rules were unchangeable; missing the retake meant he had to redo the course.
“Alright, alright.”
Professor Cheng put on his reading glasses, took out a piece of paper from the drawer, and signed it.
“Take this to the Art Department and find the guest professor who just transferred from Capital University. For the next semester, you’ll follow his instructions, and this will be your practical course retake.”
A guest professor held an honorary title different from a regular faculty member.
Capital University, recognized as the top university in rankings, made obtaining a guest professor position challenging. It was often awarded to those who made significant national contributions, leading figures in their fields, or socially influential celebrities.
“An Art Department professor?” Zong Qi took the document curiously.
Since it was for an Aesthetics Appreciation class, finding an Art Department professor made sense. However, he wondered why Professor Cheng didn’t supervise him personally and instead directed him to another professor.
Professor Cheng raised an eyebrow, “Another semester with you? Are you trying to shorten my life?”
“But that professor isn’t just teaching art.”
He grumbled, shooing Zong Qi out of his office, “Go on, this opportunity is something many would envy.”
“Next time, make sure you can distinguish between Cézanne and Monet!”
With a puzzled expression, Zong Qi took his retake paperwork and various documents to the Art Department.
Unlike the modernist building of the Film School, the Art Department’s building exuded a postmodernist vibe. The architectural style was more bizarre than strange, truly worthy of being Jiangzhou University’s landmark.
“Ah? Looking for Professor Yu?”
A teaching assistant carrying a stack of drawing materials was startled, “If you had come last week, you might have seen him. Last week, there was a personal exhibition of his in the building.”
A personal exhibition? Zong Qi was shocked.
Although Jiangzhou University wasn’t as prestigious as Capital University, it was still one of the top universities in the country, with a strong faculty. The art department consistently ranked high in the field, boasting many renowned professors.
For instance, Professor Cheng was the leading researcher in ancient Greek aesthetics in the country. Similarly, many professors in the directing department were either retired directors or senior industry insiders with extensive networks.
The Art Department also had several professors who had won world-class art awards, but it was the first time Zong Qi had heard of a professor getting approval for a personal exhibition in the teaching building.
“Could you give me Professor Yu’s contact information?” Zong Qi asked.
The teaching assistant, smiling wryly, said he was just an apprentice helping out in the department and didn’t have such authority. He suggested Zong Qi check with the Psychology Department instead.
“The professor is actually from the Psychology Department, so his studio is over there. If you’re lucky, you might catch him. But I can’t guarantee it, because Professor Yu is rarely on campus except for his weekly public lectures,” the assistant explained.
Zong Qi was surprised to learn that the professor was not from the Art Department.
Professor Yu mainly taught psychology, and organizing art exhibitions was just a personal hobby. Occasionally, he also held public lectures in the Art Department, but his schedule was flexible and the lectures were always fully booked.
Zong Qi felt a deep sense of respect.
Just from the description, it was clear that Professor Yu was highly esteemed. His admiration only grew when he heard that Professor Yu was not only a criminal psychology consultant for the National Security Special Services but also a renowned emerging artist in the art world.
A professor specializing in criminal psychology with exceptional artistic skills.
No wonder Professor Cheng said this was a rare opportunity, one that many would envy. The old professor had truly gone all out to reshape Zong Qi’s aesthetic sense.
“Sigh.”
Zong Qi wandered from the Film Department to the Art Department and finally to the Psychology Department, circling almost the entire large campus. He finally found the professor’s office in the Psychology Department on the sixth floor.
The Psychology Department building was newly constructed and had yet to expand enrollment, so classes were still held in the old building and on the lower floors. The entire sixth floor was empty, with blank corridors and closed doors, only echoing his footsteps.
A name was posted on the office door, indicating a psychology professor.
“Yu Chenxue?”
The name felt cold, aloof, and untouchable.
Inappropriately, Zong Qi thought.
He reached out, intending to knock.
“Cre-eak—”
To his surprise, the door swung open slightly with just a little pressure on his knuckles, revealing a small gap.
It wasn’t locked?
The black-haired young man was momentarily stunned. He softly asked, “Excuse me, is Professor Yu here?”
He politely asked three times but received no response.
The corridor remained silent.
Zong Qi glanced at his watch.
It was 11:30 AM.
At this time, professors without classes were usually out for lunch and wouldn’t be back until around 2 PM.
Zong Qi hadn’t had lunch yet and had promised Xiao Hong to buy groceries and cook.
Although Xiao Hong hadn’t responded, Zong Qi, who valued communication with his employees, was determined to show off his cooking skills.
Qi Ningzhou had mentioned that many fierce ghosts liked eating humans, which Zong Qi found incredible.
Either they had forgotten, or they hadn’t tasted Chinese cuisine. With so many delicious options, choosing to eat a person was truly a waste. It was so absurd that even Dazai Osamu would be speechless.
Determined, Zong Qi decided to leave the retake forms and the documents he had just received on Professor Yu’s desk, along with his contact information, rather than waiting outside.
“Sorry, I’ll come in.”
He gently pushed the unlocked door.
What greeted him was a pristine studio.
One wall of the studio had been transformed into a large floor-to-ceiling window, with white blackout curtains tied on both sides. The view extended across the lake, encompassing most of Jiangzhou University.
Bright sunlight streamed through the glass, dancing on the light-colored hardwood floor. The central air conditioning operated day and night, compressing the light particles into small patches.
The most striking feature was the paintings on the easels around the room, mostly oil paintings with a few traditional Chinese ink paintings on rice paper.
At first, Zong Qi was amazed that such a large office wasn’t shared by multiple lecturers but seemed to be Professor Yu’s private studio. Then, his attention was caught by the paintings.
Of course, with Zong Qi’s limited aesthetic sense, he couldn’t discern much. He only thought the portraits were lifelike, the landscapes beautiful, and some looked like random splashes of paint with a few strokes added.
As he looked further, the colors in the paintings became increasingly complex and vivid, with intentionally rough textures, casting a shadow over his heart, tearing through the peaceful surface with a sense of unease and contradiction, closely resembling surrealist expressionism.
Unconsciously, Zong Qi’s breathing became lighter.
He saw the last painting.
The enormous oil painting nearly covered an entire wall. The deep gray silk cloth had somehow slipped from the frame, piled on the floor, revealing the rough canvas behind it.
It was undoubtedly a bizarre painting.
A golden wheat field spread across the lower half of the linen canvas, swaying endlessly in the breeze. Despite the sun in the sky, there were twinkling stars and evening’s dark purple vortices, resembling a deep night sky.
In the center of the wheat field lay a man in a brown suit, collapsed. His high cheekbones and thick beard were prominent, and he held a gun, with blood flowing profusely from a bullet wound in his chest.
Although painted with bright colors, the eerie style rendered the content incongruously terrifying.
Despair, pain, madness, and death.
Just a few glances made the black-haired young man break out in a cold sweat, trembling uncontrollably.
Yet his gaze remained fixed on the painting as if he were drawn into it, oblivious to the sound of the door opening behind him.
Oh, the ML is here?
hohooho he sounds like ml C: 😁🫶
thanks for the chapers 😊💕🫶