Video Editor

In the days that followed, Yan Ruyu became a regular customer at Suning Life.

I don't know where Yan Ruyu gets so much free time, she goes to the directing department every few days.

Sometimes we'd meet for lunch, sometimes we'd go to the movies in the evening, and sometimes on weekends, we'd drag Suning to try those time-honored restaurants hidden in the alleyways.

Yan Ruyu, this girl from Hunan, seems to know every nook and cranny of Beijing like the back of her hand. She knows exactly which hot pot restaurant has the most authentic mutton, which braised pork offal and baked buns are the most genuine, and which fried sauce noodles are the most flavorful.

"Hey junior, you don't have class today, right? I'll take you somewhere. There's a new crayfish restaurant that just opened on Guijie Street. I heard it's really delicious. My roommate went there and said the taste was amazing—spicy, numbing, and fragrant. He wanted to eat it again and again."

"Hey junior, are you free tonight? There's a new movie out, 'The Dream Factory,' directed by Feng Xiaogang. I heard it's really funny. I'll treat you to a movie, don't say you won't go... I've already bought the tickets."

"Hey junior, come with me to Wangfujing this weekend! I want to buy a few clothes, can you give me some advice? You guys have good taste, don't let me get ripped off by the sales assistants."

Suning, of course, welcomes all comers.

If such a stunningly beautiful woman takes the initiative to befriend you, it would be ungrateful of you to pretend to refuse.

Anyway, I don't have anything to do right now, so it's nice to have someone accompany me for a stroll.

Moreover, Yan Ruyu is a very interesting girl. She's funny when she talks and has a sweet laugh. You'll never be bored with her.

Besides, with his wealth, treating someone to dinner and a movie is no big deal for him.

After all, he was a man who controlled an entire world; even a small portion of it would be enough for an ordinary person to live on for a lifetime.

If Yan Ruyu knew the numbers in his secret account, she would probably faint from fright.

As a result, this scene is often seen on the Beijing Film Academy campus...

A pretty girl walked by arm in arm with a boy, chatting and laughing.

The girl was the school beauty, with a face as beautiful as jade. She dressed simply but always looked so good.

The boy was Su Ning, the freak who got a perfect score on the college entrance exam. He was wearing an ordinary T-shirt and jeans, but he had a calm and composed demeanor.

The boys who passed by had eyes that could kill.

"Holy crap, Yan Ruyu is really with this guy!"

"How many times has this happened? Are they dating?"

"Why should he? So what if that kid did well on the college entrance exam? What's so great about that?"

"Even Sister Na and Sister Fei came to see him, so he must be someone special. Didn't you see the scene that day? Two divas! They came to the school to see him in person."

"Even if he's not simple-minded, he wouldn't be able to steal the school beauty away, would he? What kind of guys hasn't Yan Ruyu seen? Why would she take a fancy to a junior?"

"You're asking me? Who should I ask? Anyway, they're just that capable."

Suning, however, turned a deaf ear to these discussions.

Yan Ruyu didn't care at all, and walked even more happily with Su Ning's arm around her.

Sometimes he would deliberately lean close to Suning's ear to speak, in such an intimate way that it would make passersby's blood pressure skyrocket.

Suning, of course, would not refuse such close interaction, and it would be good to be the first to secure Yan Ruyu's "first blood".

……

That afternoon, Su Ning and Yan Ruyu were sitting in a coffee shop near the school.

The coffee shop wasn't big, but it was decorated in a stylish way, with movie posters hanging on the walls and soft music playing.

There weren't many people around at the moment; a few students were sitting in twos and threes, some reading books, and some chatting.

Yan Ruyu drank orange juice with ice.

She stared at Su Ning and suddenly asked, "Su Ning, what exactly do you do?"

Su Ning looked up and said, "A student! Don't you know? The 97 class of the Directing Department."

"Come on," Yan Ruyu pouted, her expression both playful and serious. "Do you think a student can just treat people to meals like that? Do you think a student can get Sister Na to come and find them personally? Do you think a student can get Sister Fei to be so polite to them? Do you really think I'm a three-year-old?"

Su Ning laughed, "You're overthinking it. I'm really just an ordinary student. I just got lucky and helped Sister Na a little."

"What kind of help?"

"It's nothing, I just... helped her solve a small problem."

Yan Ruyu stared at Su Ning for a while, her big eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Fine, if you don't want to tell me, then forget it. Anyway, I think you're not simple."

Just as she was about to say something more, Su Ning's phone suddenly rang.

When Suning took it out, the screen displayed the words "Sister Na".

He glanced at Yan Ruyu first, then answered the phone, "Hello, Sister Na."

"Su Ning, I'll pick you up at the school gate in half an hour. Get ready." Sister Na's voice came from the other end of the phone, fast and urgent, giving Su Ning no chance to refuse.

The background noise was very loud, with car horns, people talking, and ambulance sirens.

"Now? What is it?"

"There's no time to explain, we'll talk about it later. You're at school, right? I'll be there right away. Just wait for me at the school gate, don't go anywhere else."

After saying that, the phone call ended.

Suning stared at her phone, somewhat bewildered.

Yan Ruyu leaned closer, almost lying on the table, "Who is it? Sister Na? What does she want with you?"

Su Ning shook her head. "I don't know, it sounds urgent."

Yan Ruyu's eyes lit up, as if she had discovered a new continent. "Then I'll go with you? I also want to meet Sister Na. She's my idol!"

Su Ning thought for a moment and shook her head, "Next time! Judging from Sister Na's tone, things seem quite urgent, and it's inconvenient to bring you along."

Yan Ruyu was a little disappointed, but still nodded, "Alright! Be careful then. Call me if anything happens. No matter how late."

Su Ning paid the bill and waited at the school gate, while Yan Ruyu tactfully returned to school.

In Beijing, the evening breeze is a bit chilly in the autumn.

Standing at the entrance of Beijing Film Academy, watching the flow of people and vehicles, I was still wondering what was wrong with Sister Na.

Less than half an hour later, a red Maserati pulled up in front of him.

The car was eye-catching, with its streamlined body and deep, powerful engine sound, attracting the attention of the surrounding students.

The car window rolled down, revealing Sister Na's face.

Today she wasn't wearing sunglasses, and her face was filled with anxiety and exhaustion, making her look completely different from her usual glamorous self.

"Get in the car!"

Suning opened the car door and sat directly in the passenger seat.

The car roared off, leaving behind a trail of astonished glances.

"Sister Na, what's going on?" Su Ning asked after fastening her seatbelt.

As she drove, Sister Na spoke, her eyes fixed on the road ahead and her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, "Aunt Qiong has had an accident."

Suning was taken aback.

Aunt Qiong?

Qiong Yao, the author of "Princess Pearl"? The godmother of romance novels who made countless stars famous?
"Isn't she filming in Huairou? Wasn't 'My Fair Princess' filmed there?"

"Yes." Sister Na's face was solemn. "She suddenly went crazy last night and is now at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The crew says she's possessed, talking nonsense, biting anyone she sees, and has terrifying strength. Several grown men couldn't hold her down. I just got a call and rushed over here. I called you on the way."

Suning frowned.

Possessed by an evil spirit?

What did the doctor say?

“The doctor couldn’t find anything wrong. He said all her vital signs were normal—heart rate, blood pressure, brain waves, everything was normal. But the way she looks…” Sister Na shook her head, her voice trembling slightly. “I’ve known her for so many years, and I’ve never seen her like this before. She’s usually such a gentle person! She speaks so softly, but now she’s like a completely different person.”

Then she turned to look at Su Ning, her eyes pleading, "Su Ning, I know you're no ordinary person. The White Dragon King said your sachet can ward off ghosts. Can you help me see what's wrong with Aunt Qiong? Okay?"

Su Ning was silent for a few seconds, "Sister Na, I'm just a student..."

"Alright! Stop pretending." Sister Na interrupted him, her voice urgent and earnest. "I don't know who you are, but you definitely have connections. You know Aunt Qiong's status in the entertainment industry. If something happens to her, the whole industry will be in chaos. And do you know how important 'Princess Pearl' is? Zhao Yanzi, Fan Jiuyi, Lin Daru, those girls have just become famous, and the show hasn't even finished filming yet. If something happens to Aunt Qiong, what will happen to this show? What will happen to those girls' futures? What will happen to the investors behind 'Princess Pearl'?"

"Moreover, if you can help and get closer to Aunt Qiong, it will only benefit you in the future, and not harm you. You can't even imagine the connections she has in the industry."

"..." Su Ning didn't say anything more, but began to think about the pros and cons in her mind.

……

The car sped along, and Sister Na didn't disturb Su Ning's thoughts any longer. She ran several red lights and soon arrived at Xiehe Hospital. Sister Na parked the car at the entrance and led Su Ning straight to the inpatient department.

The lobby of the inpatient department was bustling with people. Nurses hurried by pushing stretchers, while family members waited anxiously for the elevator.

The smell of disinfectant permeated the air, mixed with a variety of complex emotions.

Na Jie jogged along, with Suning following behind, neither too fast nor too slow, but never falling behind.

When we arrived at the floor where the ward was located, the elevator doors opened and we saw several people standing in the corridor.

The producer of the film crew was in his forties, with a receding hairline and a face full of anxiety.

There was Aunt Qiong's assistant, a girl in her early twenties, with red eyes, clearly having been crying.

There was also a burly man who looked like a bodyguard, about 1.9 meters tall, wearing a black suit, standing at the door of the ward.

As Na walked over, the producer greeted her, "Na, you've finally arrived. And who is this?"

"My friend came to see Aunt Qiong," Sister Na said, and started walking towards the ward.

The producer sized up Suning, his eyes filled with suspicion.

So young, not even twenty years old, can she do it?

This is no joke. "Sister Na, this..."

"Move aside." Sister Na didn't have time to explain and pushed open the ward door.

Suning ignored the producer and followed Sister Na inside.

In the ward, Qiong Yao was tied to the bed, her hands and feet bound tightly with strips of cloth.

At this moment, her hair was disheveled, her face was as pale as paper, her eyes were wide open, and her pupils were full of blood vessels.

He kept muttering something, incoherent and unintelligible, but it was definitely not normal human speech.

Hearing the door open, Aunt Qiong turned around abruptly and stared intently at Su Ning.

Those eyes held no trace of normal human spirit.

All that remained was madness, hatred, and a kind of malice that did not belong to humanity.

Su Ning walked to the bedside and looked into Aunt Qiong's eyes.

"Get out of the way."

Na Jie and the producer who followed them in were stunned. "Su Ning, what did you say?"

Suning did not provide an explanation.

He simply raised his hand and gently pressed it against Qiong Yao's forehead.

The movement was very light, as if afraid of disturbing something.

The next second, Aunt Qiong froze, as if she had been electrocuted, and her limbs twitched violently.

At this moment, her eyes widened even more, and she let out a piercing scream...

It wasn't a human voice; it was a sharp, piercing, and chilling cry.

The temperature in the ward seemed to drop several degrees instantly.

Na shuddered, and the producer was so frightened his legs went weak.

Then, the madness in Aunt Joan's eyes slowly faded.

Those eyes changed from blood red to cloudy, and from cloudy to clear.

Aunt Qiong looked at Su Ning with a blank expression, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't say anything.

She quickly closed her eyes and fainted.

The ward finally fell silent, deathly silent.

The producer's mouth dropped open, his eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

She looked at Su Ning with a shocked expression, then at the unconscious Aunt Qiong, and then back at Su Ning, unable to utter a single word.

Sister Na was also stunned, covering her mouth with her hand and staring wide-eyed.

Su Ning withdrew his hand and looked at his palm.

There was a faint wisp of black mist above, which was slowly dissipating.

"She's fine now. She just needs a couple of days of rest. Don't disturb her; let her wake up naturally."

As Su Ning reached the door, she suddenly stopped and turned to look at the producer.

That one glance, calm as still water, sent a chill down the producer's spine. "Don't tell anyone about tonight. Not even what just happened, not even that I was here. Don't say a word. Aunt Qiong was saved by doctors at Peking Union Medical College Hospital."

The producer nodded repeatedly, his head bobbing like a chicken pecking at rice, "Yes, yes, I won't say, I absolutely won't say."

Suning pushed open the door and went out.

Na Jie froze for a few seconds, then quickly chased after him, calling out, "Suning! Suning!"

Suning stopped at the elevator entrance.

Sister Na caught up with him and grabbed his arm.

Her face was still a little pale, and her hands were trembling slightly, after all, what had just happened was really too damn exciting.

"Su Ning, what was that just now...?"

"Possessed by evil spirits," Su Ning said casually, as if it were just a nice day. "It's already been cleared away."

Sister Na gasped, "That thing... really exists?"

Su Ning glanced at Sister Na with a complicated expression. "Sister Na, aren't you just asking a question you already know the answer to?"

Sister Na was speechless.

The two stood at the elevator entrance, waiting for the elevator.

The numbers on the elevator door jumped up one by one, getting closer and closer as we went up from the first floor.

Suddenly, Na asked, "Su Ning, who exactly are you?"

Suning looked at her reflection in the elevator door.

His face, which looked like that of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old, was clean and unremarkable.

But those eyes held a depth and tranquility beyond their years.

Su Ning was silent for a few seconds before looking at Sister Na and saying, "Sister Na, thank you for your concern! But I hope this is the last time. I am not one of those shady brokers who make money through underhanded means."

"..."

With a "ding," the elevator doors opened.

Suning went inside and pressed the button for the first floor.

The door closed slowly.

Sister Na stood outside the elevator, looking at the young face behind the door, which grew narrower and more blurred until it disappeared completely.

Na suddenly realized that she had never truly understood this person.

I even feel that I may never understand Suning.

The elevator went down floor by floor.

Su Ning stood calmly in the elevator, closing her eyes and slowly savoring the moment.

The scene from just now kept replaying in my mind.

That dark aura, that malice, that possessed woman.

How did this thing end up here?

Who is targeting Aunt Qiong? Or is it just a coincidence? Or has Aunt Qiong harmed someone in the past?

Suning doesn't know.

But Su Ning knew that from now on, her peaceful student life was likely to be disrupted again.

...(End of this chapter)