Ch36 - I Really Want To See Him
Xu Lele swore to Lu Xu that the apartment building had ghosts. His tone was as nervous as could be.
“Hai, we thought this was going to be some sort of big gossip. Turns out it was just about how there are ghosts.”
The F4 had originally wanted to come over to hear a small secret, but they ended up losing interest after listening.
Lu Xu couldn’t help but smile as he watched them, his demeanour as calm as usual.
“See Xu ge, your reaction means you don’t believe it.” Xu Lele was afraid Lu Xu wouldn’t care and almost raised his hand to make a vow. “There really are ghosts in the building. If you don’t believe it then wait for Master Lai to come and you’ll know.”
Lu Xu was rather curious about this Master Lai and casually asked, “Is this Master Lai very famous?”
“Yes, you can consider him as someone super famous. Xu ge, you actually don’t even know of him…” When Xu Lele heard this, he thought it was rather inconceivable. He immediately took out his phone and opened Weibo up for Lu Xu to see. “Master Lai has more than ten million followers on Weibo; he’s even more popular than a lot of artists. Many politicians and entertainers will seek him out for events even science can’t explain. Look look, he even has a picture with Qin Lulu and Chen Zishan on his Weibo…”
Both Qin Lulu and Chen Zishan were popular actors. They had only debuted a few years ago but their fans were numerous.
“I’ve heard that Master Lai has abilities in two worlds; he can dispel ghosts and also change the fates of people’s wealth and lives. For example, Chen Zishan wasn’t very popular during her debut a few years ago. She sought out Master Lai to help change her fate and she immediately became very popular…”
Xu Lele gave a detailed account of how Chen Zishan had found Master Lai and how she had employed his services. Xu Lele spoke with such energy and vitality that someone who didn’t know would assume he had been there himself.
“Waooh, he seems very amazing!”
“Yes yes, even I want to find this Master Lai to see for myself.”
“Wake up brothers, you’re all ghosts not people. Aren’t you afraid that Master Lai will harvest you later?”
The F4 listened on with great interest, participating in the conversation every once in a while.
Seeing Xu Lele speak of this entertainment industry gossip with great familiarity, Lu Xu couldn’t help but tease him. “It’d be a pity if you didn’t participate in a crosstalk 101 show.”
When Xu Lele heard this he immediately became excited. “Xu ge, what you say makes some sense. When I was little I really did want to learn comedic dialogues. But I was an only child and my parents couldn’t bear sending me out at such a young age, so I didn’t end up doing it.”
Lu Xu smiled softly and chimed in, “Tsk tsk tsk, that’s a real loss for both the comedic and crosstalk industries.”
Speaking of this, after listening to Xu Lele’s introduction, Lu Xu was even more curious about that Master Lai.
If he really was that astounding, then he should know him.
There were no recordings scheduled that night. The program staff broadcasted the sanitisation arrangements—
“In order to provide a more comfortable and safe environment for the trainees, the program staff will be doing a thorough disinfection of the dormitory tonight. Please stay in your rooms after 8 P.M. and do not come out. Thank you, everyone, for cooperating…”
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.
“Are they going to disinfect all night?” When Han Tianyu heard the broadcast he thought it was strange and couldn’t help but ask.
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As the leader of the team, Song Zhe naturally had an interest in the general situation and added, “Anyways just listen to the orders. Everyone has been training hard so we might as well take advantage of this and rest well.” After saying this, he looked around in all directions, feeling like something was missing from the room. He asked Lu Xu, “Xu ge, where’s Ba Mei?”
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Although he was the owner, Lu Xu wasn’t very worried. “Probably went out on a walk to digest the food again.”
He unlocked his phone and opened up his WeChat. Lu Xu tapped on Ji Xiunian’s profile picture and moved his fingers around to type a line of text—
[SS-Lu Xu: Nian ge, is Ba Mei with you?]
The other side replied very quickly—
[Ji Xiunian: Yes, do you want me to bring it back?]
[SS-Lu Xu: No need to go to the trouble. Can I come over to find it?]
[Ji Xiunian: Sure, come over.]
After receiving this invitation, Lu Xu put his phone away and got up happily, his expression pleased as he got ready to go see his client.
Xu Haoming caught sight of Lu Xu going out and his gaze shifted away from his game. “Xu ge, where are you going?”
Lu Xu turned around and smiled comfortably. “Ba Mei went to visit others, I’m going to go get it.”
“Oh oh, then hurry, it’s almost 8.”
“Okay.” Lu Xu smiled and didn’t say much else. After leaving the room, he went directly to Ji Xiunian’s room and knocked on the door.
The door opened from inside and revealed a handsome face.
After recording, Ji Xiunian had changed into a light grey athletic set of clothing, looking a little more real than his image on stage. His hair seemed to have just been washed and was only half-dry. It draped down, making his entire face more delicate.
It seemed that no matter the occasion, this man’s appearance was unbeatable.
Lu Xu’s gaze passed over the mark on his wrist, he only felt that it had become even darker since the last time he saw it. He raised his head and was once again his warm, sunny self. “Good evening Nian ge.”
“Good evening.” As he spoke, Ji Xiunian moved to the side to make space, inviting Lu Xu to come in.
The four mentors were all popular artists. They naturally received excellent treatment.
To take Ji Xiunian’s room as an example, the furnishings were luxurious and the room spacious. In addition to the standard private bathroom and closet, the room was also divided into a gym area and rest area. Even if he didn’t leave the room he could exercise during his free time. His bed also looked very comfortable.
Lu Xu took all of this in at a glance, then saw Ba Mei currently eating from a small can at the dining table. “Wow, some kitties have skills, they even know to come to Nian ge for an extra meal.”
Ba Mei waved its tail and meowed as it turned around, acknowledging its owner. It then resumed eating from the can.
“Feel free to sit anywhere.” Ji Xiunian walked over to his fridge. Looking at Lu Xu he asked, “Do you want to drink anything?”
“Water is fine.” Lu Xu sat on the sofa next to Ba Mei. He propped his face up with one hand and looked at Ji Xiunian, unable to resist curving his lips up into a smile. “This is the first time I’ve seen Ba Mei be so clingy with someone else. I always feel like it’s a burden on you.”
Ji Xiunian poured two cups of water. He gave one to Lu Xu and poured the other into Ba Mei’s little water bowl. “It’s not a burden. I like Ba Mei a lot.”
His gaze was soft and his tone was gentle. His usual cold image had receded and become much more vivid.
Lu Xu observed Ji Xiunian and couldn’t help but wonder if this was the real him, or merely a disguise.
As he thought, he saw Ji Xiunian suddenly raise his head. Their eyes met for a moment in silence.
It was still Ji Xiunian who spoke first to ask Lu Xu, “Did the female ghost come after you?”
“No.” Lu Xu answered truthfully at first, then pretended he was still troubled as he said, “Maybe the yang energy during the day is too strong so she doesn’t dare to come. Maybe she wants to make a surprise attack at night?”
Lu Xu said this without batting an eyelid, frowning as if he were actually distressed over the situation with the female ghost.
Ji Xiunian couldn’t help but comfort him. “That Master Lai Fan ge invited is on the road, he should be here soon.”
“Really?” When Lu Xu heard Master Lai’s name, he couldn’t resist drawing his lips back in a smile, as if he were full of anticipation. “I heard that Master Lai is really powerful. He should be able to easily send the ghost away, right?”
“Probably.” Faced with the youth’s expectant eyes, Ji Xiunian hesitated for a moment before deciding it was better to not dash his hopes.
In fact, not long after he had returned to his room, he had gone online to investigate this Master Lai’s life.
Things like ‘resurrection from death,’ ‘supernatural scene,’ and a few artists’ rumours all formed text that depicted him as a divine character.
But the more it was like this, the more Ji Xiunian doubted.
Everyone talked about how Master Lai was a man of noble character, indifferent to both fame and fortune. But the pictures with celebrities and the posts on the internet all made one feel like he was fishing for fame.
He remained suspicious but was afraid he was overthinking it. Whether or not Master Lai had real abilities could only be known after he saw the person himself.
“Nian ge, then can I come to see the master when he comes? Since the person who took the rope was me, the person the female ghost is looking for is also me…”
As Lu Xu spoke, he lowered his head, looking rather uneasy.
“Don’t worry Lu Xu, I’ll definitely bring you over.” The reason why Ji Xiunian went back to Fan ge for help was exactly because he was afraid the female ghost would haunt Lu Xu. Compared to his own safety, he was more afraid that Lu Xu would face danger.
Since Master Lai could catch ghosts, then by right, he should be able to help Lu Xu.
“Thank you Nian ge, good thing you’re here. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t know what to do.” Lu Xu pulled at Ji Xiunian’s hand and thanked him. His tone was sincerely gratuitous, but the corners of his lips involuntarily curved up.
“Meow.” Ba Mei finished eating the can of food and returned to its senses. It raised its front paws and hugged Ji Xiunian’s calf, pitifully watching him chatter away.
The orange tiger-headed cat had soft and smooth fur. Its light green eyes were bright, making others feel like it was very cute and that their hearts were about to melt.
Ji Xiunian reached out and scooped Ba Mei up, carefully embracing it. It seemed that he had specifically watched a tutorial on the proper position to hold a cat. “Ba Mei is so cute, how long have you had it for?”
“For some time.”
Only thirty years.
Ji Xiunian’s eyes looked at him brightly; he obviously wanted to hear more. Lu Xu cleared his throat and thought for a moment before continuing, “I picked Ba Mei off the streets, it had a good appetite since it was small…”
A stray cat on the road to the underworld. Until now, it was still the only one, and he still didn’t know what it used to eat there.
“Its favourite hobby is usually sleeping. Sometimes it’ll watch TV by itself. It likes cartoons with pigs as main characters…”
The room had air conditioning, but Ji Xiunian was used to opening his windows for ventilation.
The summer night breeze carried a hint of coolness. It blew past the curtains and flowed into the room, bringing with it the humidity of summer.
The sound of cicadas came into the room, but it made the room seem even more tranquil.
Ji Xiunian carried Ba Mei and sat across from Lu Xu, quietly listening to him talk about Ba Mei. The smile at the corners of his mouth didn’t stop for a single moment.
Two people and a cat accompanied each other in the room. The atmosphere was warm and beautiful.
The clock on the wall ticked on, slowly pointing towards 8 o’clock.
Fan Zeng’s phone call interrupted the conversation of the two people. Ji Xiunian smiled at Lu Xu and answered it. An excited sound transferred over from the other side. “Xiunian, clean up and come downstairs. Master Lai is here!”
Fan Zeng’s voice was loud and Lu Xu heard it very clearly from the side.
Ji Xiunian hung up and extended an invitation to Lu Xu. “Let’s go, let’s go together.”
“Okay.” Lu Xu followed him readily. Say, he really wanted to meet this Master Lai!