Chapter 1: Haunted Hill House (1)
When the camera turned around, Yan Shixun was looking out the window in a daze.
"Next is our fourth guest." The tour guide was introducing him enthusiastically to the camera: "Wow! He is an amateur who has not signed a contract with any company. Can you tell us what attracted you to join our tour group?"
Yan Shixun lazily looked away, seemingly unhappy that the other party had asked such a stupid question: "Didn't your director ask me to come here?"
The smile on the tour guide's face suddenly froze.
Several other artist idols who were sitting at the same long table and being introduced by the tour guide also cast surprised glances at Yan Shixun.
Although I heard that this half-dead travel variety show couldn't even find enough people, the director still forced the last person to come on. But isn't this person's temper too stubborn?
Noticing the gazes around him, Yan Shixun felt even more annoyed.
The director, who was sitting outside the camera range, saw Yan Shixun's expression and quickly gestured to him frantically: Brother Yan! This is a live broadcast, a live broadcast! It's okay to pretend.
Yan Shixun made a "tsk" sound, but when he saw the director making the money-twisting gesture, he finally remembered that he had signed a contract with this guy.
"Yan Shixun." He introduced his name to the camera with a cold face, simply and straightforwardly without adding a single word, with an expression that said "This is the limit of my patience."
The tour guide quickly turned to the next person with the camera.
Sitting next to Yan Shixun was a famous singer who immediately introduced himself to the camera in a sweet voice, humorously alleviating the previous awkward silence and earning him more shots.
It was raining outside the window, but inside the brightly lit room, seven guests who were actors, singers or idols were talking to the camera about the attractions that interested them, trying to get more shots and attention for themselves.
Yes, this is a travel variety show with "live broadcast" and "real" as its selling points, and the eight people including Yan Shixun are the guests invited by the program team. Because there is a rule that the audience votes after each scenic spot, and the last one is eliminated, everyone except Yan Shixun is working hard to attract more popularity.
As for Yan Shixun, his goal is opposite to others.
He just wanted to eliminate himself as quickly as possible, and it would be best if he could leave immediately after finishing the first attraction.
——Because he was the one who was “rumored” to be invited by the director to make up the numbers because the director couldn’t find all the artists to participate.
Yan Shixun is not a person in the entertainment industry, and this is not his ambition.
He was a charlatan who made a living by catching ghosts and demons. But because he was familiar with the director and the director thought he was really good-looking, he used a large sum of money to lure him over.
You and I have no destiny, it all depends on you spending money.
For the sake of money, Yan Shixun endured it.
But he also made it very clear to the director that he was just there to make up the numbers, and would leave immediately after being voted out in a few days.
Yan Shixun is very confident about this.
After all, he is not famous at all, and he won't do anything to deliberately attract popularity or camera time during the live broadcast. Even if someone is blindly attracted by his shell for a short time, they will be scared away by his stubborn and bad temper.
——He has a good idea of what kind of person he is.
"Since Guishan has received the most votes, our first stop will be here!"
"Let our fairies and boys get ready and we'll be back soon. The next live broadcast will be at 12 noon, so don't forget to tune in on time!"
The tour guide's energetic voice brought Yan Shixun back from his distraction.
Guishan?
With the idea of just joining in to make up the numbers and take the money and leave, Yan Shixun did not learn about the program schedule in advance.
When he heard that the first attraction to be visited was Guishan, he couldn't help but frowned, and his fingers under the table unconsciously drew on his thighs, as if he was calculating something.
The camera is turned off and the live broadcast ends.
All of a sudden, all the guests relaxed and calmed down from the way they pretended to be intimate with their companions in front of the camera.
The tour guide was a little annoyed because she was embarrassed in front of the camera because of Yan Shixun. She rolled her eyes and snorted coldly when she passed by Yan Shixun.
She muttered loudly, "Why are you pretending? I thought you were some top-tier celebrity. Who are you showing off to? You don't even have a masterpiece."
This person named Liu Yiyi was famous for a while for a supporting role more than ten years ago. Although she has been out of fashion for many years, she is still somewhat famous for the role she played back then, so she was invited by the director to be a tour guide in this travel variety show.
Liu Yiyi felt that she was a senior and always showed contempt for the seven young artists in her words, and she looked down on Yan Shixun even more.
Yan Shixun, however, didn't take her seriously at all, his eyes were indifferent, as if he was looking at air.
The feeling of punching into cotton made Liu Yiyi even more angry.
"You are such an uncultured fellow, just wait for your bad luck, humph!"
At this time, Yan Shixun finally finished calculating.
He lazily raised his hand to support his cheek and looked at Liu Yiyi who deliberately walked past him: "I think you will be unlucky before me. Don't worry, even if I am unlucky, you won't be able to see it."
Liu Yiyi didn't expect Yan Shixun to ignore her authority as a senior and directly retort. She was stunned for a moment before she reacted.
"What did you say? Yan Shixun, say it again, believe it or not, I will make sure you can't survive!"
She raised her voice and it sounded very sharp, causing the other guests who were standing up to leave to look over here.
"Seeing you so angry, I feel relieved."
The time left for the guests to pack their luggage and set off for the first attraction was limited. Yan Shixun also stood up slowly, and glanced at Liu Yiyi with a half-smile: "It's good to have a hot temper, it can help you live longer. Don't let those who say harsh words die first, it will be so embarrassing."
Liu Yiyi failed to laugh and was instead confronted, her face twisted with anger.
However, none of the other seven guests stepped forward to mediate, and they all stood aside and watched with indifference or ridicule.
They also didn't like Liu Yiyi very much.
Although they are not top stars or first-tier stars in their respective fields, they are all well-known. One of them is an idol artist who debuted through the selection process and is extremely popular. They only came to this show because the director was willing to pay them a lot of money.
But this Liu Yiyi, although it was obvious that she had not been found, acted as if she were a senior and had an arrogant attitude, which made everyone unhappy.
Yan Shixun's two sentences to Liu Yiyi made people who didn't care about him originally look at him with approval.
Liu Yiyi was still trying to say something to Yan Shixun who had already walked away, but was interrupted by the director.
"It's getting late, tour guide, please pack your bags quickly, and everyone else should do the same."
After all, Liu Yiyi had to hold back as she was taking the director's money. But before leaving, she still glared at Yan Shixun's back.
The rest of the people went upstairs to pack their luggage, and the director team also packed up their equipment and prepared to move.
"Brother Yan, don't be angry. You and her won't have any contact in a few days anyway. Liu Yiyi has a bad temper, but many people regard her as their childhood goddess. It will attract this audience to the show."
The director held a tablet and walked towards Yan Shixun with a worried look on his face: "We have invited many popular guests, but the response has been mediocre since the show started. What should we do?"
Compared to the director, Zhang Wubing looks more like a carefree rich young man.
This is exactly the case.
This third-generation rich man, who knows nothing about variety shows and the entertainment industry, had no support from his family and had informed his friends in the entertainment company not to get involved. He simply spent money to put together this makeshift team, which can barely be considered a variety show.
Even so, we were able to barely invite six guests.
He had already signed another contract, but because he got the role of the protagonist in a web drama, he simply canceled the contract and ran away.
Zhang Wubing had no choice but to find Yan Shixun, whom he had known for several years.
——Although Yan Shixun is not even a member of the entertainment industry, he is handsome!
Zhang Wubing has seen so many handsome men and beautiful women, but he has never seen anyone who is more handsome than his brother Yan.
But in Yan Shixun's opinion, this crappy variety show would be considered a success if it could last a week.
But this is also good, he can go home quickly.
Yan Shixun glanced at the direction Liu Yiyi left and directly used the environment to make a divination. After a moment, he smiled: "Liu Yiyi and I did not have any contact in a few days."
But he was a little confused.
Judging from the hexagram, why did he stay and Liu Yiyi leave?
"You just spent a lot of money to hire people. The team was formed temporarily. Even the permission to broadcast live took several people several days to figure out. If anyone watched it, I would doubt whether they had nothing better to do and watched this awful thing to kill time."
Yan Shixun sneered, "Why do you care so much? It's what you like anyway, just do it once you've decided to do it. Just be true to yourself."
The director, who was originally depressed, immediately cheered up: "Brother Yan is right! Maybe I will get lucky and create a top variety show? When I go home, I will definitely slap my dad in the face and make him distrust me!"
Yan Shixun: "...It's broad daylight, stop dreaming, what are you thinking about?"
…
Zhang Wubing is rich himself, and is willing to spend money to make the variety show a success, so he prepares good food, clothing, housing and transportation for the guests.
When the guests came down from the five-star hotel, several expensive station wagons were waiting for them.
Only then did Liu Yiyi feel a little satisfied. She puffed out her chest proudly, passed by Yan Shixun, and rolled her eyes at him.
Yan Shixun was puzzled: Why are you on a variety show when your eyes are twitching? Can't you go to the hospital?
"That..." A sweet voice with a hint of temptation sounded beside Yan Shixun.
It was the singer who had just sat next to Yan Shixun.
As she asked, she handed over a bottle of water in a friendly manner: "Your name is Yan Shixun, right? My name is Bai Shuang. I saw that Brother Yan seemed to be distracted just now. I guess you didn't hear my name, so I will introduce myself."
"Also, Brother Yan was so handsome when he was confronting Liu Yiyi just now."
When looking at Yan Shixun up close, the oppressive and sharp feeling brought by his top-notch looks made Bai Shuang, who had seen many beautiful faces in the singer circle, dazed. For a moment, she even held her breath involuntarily for fear of disturbing this beauty.
She couldn't help but ask curiously, "How could a guy like Brother Yan not be signed? This is unscientific."
Bai Shuang is a sweet girl, and she is not the type that would cause anyone to dislike her when she smiles.
Yan Shixun glanced at her and his eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't want to accept other people's kindness and create unnecessary consequences, so he didn't want to take the water. After a slight pause, he reached out and took it.
"Okay, then this will be your reward to me. I have indeed received your intention to settle the cause and effect." Yan Shixun forced a wanton smile.
Yan Shixun took the water bottle and tossed it twice. Then he suddenly reached out and patted Bai Shuang on the shoulder, making a gesture of brushing away the dust.
Just as Yan Shixun's bony palm touched Bai Shuang, she suddenly felt a burning sensation on her shoulder.
What followed was a sense of relief and joy as if a burden had been lifted off my shoulders, and even the air seemed a lot fresher.
Bai Shuang felt that the heaviness and soreness in his body that he had felt for more than a year had disappeared without a trace, and his body felt so light that he seemed able to fly.
And this change was brought about by Yan Shixun.
"Brother Yan?" Bai Shuang asked in surprise, "Is this my illusion? What's going on?"
Yan Shixun casually unscrewed the water bottle, tilted his head back and drank it, then poured the remaining half of the water on the tree next to him.
"Don't know what's going on in your head. You just have a bug on your shoulder."
As the guests got on the car one after another, the camera was turned on. Yan Shixun was unwilling to say anything, and Bai Shuang didn't want to ask any more questions in front of the camera.
As soon as Yan Shixun got on the bus, he went straight to the last row and lay down to catch up on his sleep.
The seven guests in the car were also happy that there was one less person stealing the spotlight from them. They played small games and sang songs in front of the camera. They looked as if they were going on a trip in high spirits, and the car was filled with laughter.
Only Bai Shuang would occasionally look at Yan Shixun who was sleeping soundly in the back, with surprise and contemplation in her eyes.
The convoy quickly left the city and headed towards its destination, Guishan.
The roads near Guishan are all dirt roads, which are difficult to walk on. A bumpy ride woke Yan Shixun up.
He opened his eyes while lying on his back, and was faced with the gloomy sky outside the car window. It was so dark that it seemed as if it was already eight or nine o'clock.
Yan Shixun turned over and sat up. When he looked at his cell phone, it was only three o'clock. His sharp long eyebrows immediately frowned.
This weather is not right? The weather forecast didn't say that.
At this moment, the convoy suddenly braked hard, and almost everyone rushed forward. Suddenly, screams and worries were heard in the car.
Only Yan Shixun was still sitting in the last row, motionless.
"Director Zhang, the main road ahead is blocked by trees. We can't move it for the time being. It looks like we have no choice but to walk." The staff member ran to the car where the guests were and whispered to Zhang Wubing.
Everyone opened the car windows and saw that, as expected, a huge locust tree had fallen across the only road up the mountain, blocking the road completely and making it impossible for cars to pass.
Yan Shixun's frowned brows jumped.
Sophora tree?
It was as dark as night at three in the afternoon, and the locust tree had fallen down due to decay and death...
Sophora japonica, there is a ghost next to the tree.
Yan Shixun had a bad feeling.
Zhang Wubing asked someone to try to move it, but they soon gave up.
It’s too heavy. It must be a century-old tree.
"Plans have changed, but isn't that what travel is all about? That's why it's full of surprises?"
Zhang Wubing did not turn off the camera. Instead, he thought it was good to have something different happen, which could add fun and twists to the live broadcast and attract viewers to continue watching.
So he simply asked a few guests off-camera to pack their luggage and get off the car, preparing to hike up the mountain.
Except for the necessary staff and supplies and equipment, all other people and supplies stayed in the car, waiting at the foot of the mountain with walkie-talkies.
Seeing a few guests who were too squeamish and didn't want to walk up the mountain, Zhang Wubing encouraged them, "The director team has booked a villa on the mountain. It is said to be very historic and was once the residence of a celebrity. Everyone, work harder and we'll be there soon."
When they heard that they were going to live in a high-end villa, several of them's eyes lit up immediately.
Some people also plan to take a few photos when they arrive at the villa and post them on their own accounts to establish a persona with historical charm.
Everyone climbed up the mountain with great enthusiasm and did not forget to show themselves in front of the camera.
Only Yan Shixun, who was walking at the end, stopped as soon as he stepped onto the stone steps leading up the mountain.
He turned his head and looked coldly at the lush forest shrouded in white mist.
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