Although Gu Wuji hadn't been directly kicked off the set, his parts had already been almost entirely cut. Today marked the wrapping up of his scenes, and it ended swiftly.
The crew actually wanted to comfort him, but since Cheng Jia was present, they didn't dare approach, fearing they might lose their jobs if they caused any trouble.
Xu Mingjun watched Gu Wuji, whom even the staff were afraid to get close to, and sneered internally. It served him right for snatching the role Xu Mingjun had wanted. Now, seeing him in this predicament was just desserts.
However, Xu Mingjun feigned a scared expression and said with some difficulty, "Is this really okay to do to Brother Gu? He hasn't really done anything..."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Jia's face darkened, and he sneered, "You're just too naive, being fooled by his appearance. His current situation is entirely his own doing."
Xu Mingjun nodded timidly, appearing even more like a victim.
Those around who knew the truth felt disgusted but didn't dare offend Cheng Jia. They all kept quiet, thinking his tastes were seriously questionable, no wonder he couldn't compare to his brother.
Suddenly, everyone noticed Gu Wuji approaching. They tensed, wondering if Gu Wuji was about to confront Xu Mingjun or if he was coming to apologize, unable to withstand the pressure any longer.
Gu Wuji slowly made his way over, facing the complex looks directed at him, then locked eyes with Cheng Jia in the middle, seemingly remembering his name was Cheng Jia. He hesitated before saying, "I have something I want to talk to you about."
Cheng Jia wore a mocking smile, "What can't be said in front of everyone? My time is precious, and I won't waste it on someone worthless."
"Well, if you insist," Gu Wuji looked somewhat troubled, as if what he was about to say was difficult to express.
Originally, he had just wanted to give these two a casual warning, but Cheng Jia insisted on making it public. He had no choice.
This look made others feel even more that Gu Wuji was someone who cared about his dignity, not wanting to be humiliated in front of everyone, yet was still forced into this position. It was truly pitiable.
Xu Mingjun felt extremely delighted internally. Gu Wuji was only slightly more popular than him, and despite having some fame and looks, now he could only come to him to apologize.
Cheng Jia looked at Gu Wuji with an even more condescending sneer, as if listening to him was a form of charity.
Then they heard Gu Wuji hesitantly say, "Have you recently done something morally wrong?"
Cheng Jia: "??"
Others: "??"
"What did you say—" Cheng Jia became furious.
"Ah, my mistake," Gu Wuji quickly corrected himself, and Cheng Jia, persuaded by those around him, didn't stand up in anger but looked at Gu Wuji with an even more hostile gaze.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Wuji corrected himself, "Actually, I meant to ask if you've done something underhanded... something that might cause you to encounter ghosts when you step outside."
Everyone was stunned. They had initially thought Gu Wuji had acted impulsively, but what was going on now? Was he really such a spirited man, daring to mock Cheng Jia even at the risk of offending him? It's a pity he was too impulsive... With today's incident, it seemed Gu Wuji really might no longer have a chance to continue in the entertainment industry.
"Brother Gu, what do you mean?" Xu Mingjun looked at him incredulously, thinking Gu Wuji must have lost his mind. However, seizing the moment, he couldn't help but say, "Even if Cheng Zong targeted you for some reason, you shouldn't curse others like that!"
"Heh." Cheng Jia stood up, looking at Gu Wuji with utter disdain, "Xiao Jun, there's no need to waste words on such trash."
Then, he signaled to the brawny bodyguards behind him with a look, and they immediately moved towards Gu Wuji, attempting to restrain him directly.
Daring to come here and humiliate Cheng Jia meant he was in for serious trouble, not dead but certainly beaten to a pulp.
The situation became extremely tense in an instant, and almost everyone couldn't bear to watch. The bodyguard was huge and muscular, while Gu Wuji was slender and tall, seemingly about to be easily subdued and beaten.
Seeing this, Gu Wuji thought it might be a good chance to test his newly acquired ability. After all, those mindless spirits were everywhere. He turned around and used his new ability to sense, immediately finding his target.
Just as the bodyguard's hand was about to grab Gu Wuji, he suddenly felt a chill through his body, as if something had passed through him, and the hand that was about to grab Gu Wuji spasmed.
Looking at Gu Wuji again, the bodyguard was as if he had seen a ghost. If the spasm was just a sudden incident, then what was that momentary chill... It couldn't be that he suddenly contracted a deadly disease.
"Is everything settled now?" Gu Wuji's tone was as if he had just stepped out for a stroll, "Then I'll be heading home."
The others watched him leave in shock. Was the bodyguard's spasm just a coincidence, or was it, as Gu Wuji had said, because of the things Cheng Jia had done, leading to this outcome in some mysterious way?
---
"Cheng Zong, don't be angry, it's not worth it for such a person."
On the ride back, Xu Mingjun continued to comfort him, though his words often carried a hint of instigation.
"Heh, as if I'd stoop to his level," Cheng Jia scoffed, "I just didn't expect it to be such a coincidence, that Gu Wuji would spout all that nonsense about encountering ghosts and such. What a joke."
However, due to the sudden incident, the bodyguard had to go to the hospital for treatment. Cheng Jia, not wanting to wait for other bodyguards, decided to head home, thinking nothing significant would happen.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed something odd about the driver in front. The driver was supposed to be his family's chauffeur, Uncle Wang, but the person driving seemed unfamiliar.
Cheng Jia immediately sat up, looking around. They were supposed to be in the city center, yet the surroundings were incredibly dim, with only a faint light visible in the distance. It was as if their car was driving through desolate countryside.
Could it be kidnappers? As a wealthy second-generation accustomed to sponsoring small-time celebrities without much real knowledge or skills, Cheng Jia was somewhat familiar with such situations. However, he thought these kidnappers were foolish; the moment he went missing, his family would realize something was wrong, and his GPS tracker would reveal his location. By now, arrangements were likely being made to find him.
Because of this, Cheng Jia wasn't very panicked.
But the next moment, he saw in the rearview mirror, the face reflected was smeared with blood, and half of the face was so decayed that bones could be seen.
Instantly, Cheng Jia felt a chill run through his body, his complexion turning extremely pale. He then remembered that Uncle Wang had taken a sick leave earlier today, and someone had mentioned it to him, but he hadn't paid much attention... Now, thinking back, could it be that he had been riding in a ghost's car to the set?!
Cheng Jia wished he could jump out of the car right then.
"Cheng Zong, are you okay? Are you feeling carsick?" Xu Mingjun immediately started comforting him, but upon noticing the direction of Cheng Jia's gaze, his body stiffened too. From his angle, he could clearly see the thing driving the car, including the hand on the steering wheel... which was reduced to bones.
What was that...
At this moment, they suddenly remembered the words Gu Wuji had said earlier. The things he mentioned, now recalled, were not just empty threats made in desperation. Instead, Gu Wuji's tone was filled with certainty; he must have known this would happen!
And they hadn't taken him seriously at all. What were they to do now!
Both of them sat in the car, trembling, not daring to utter a word. Even when they tried to pull out their phones to seek help, they found there was no signal at all.
The light around them had dimmed to the extreme, as if there was no one else in the world but them in the car.
At that moment, the car suddenly stopped.
"We have reached your destination." A hoarse voice sounded.
Their hearts skipped a beat, only to see the driver's head suddenly turn a full one hundred and eighty degrees, then the neck broke, and the head dropped in front of them.
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah—"
By this time, Cheng Jia no longer cared about his image, and hurriedly tried to open the car door. However, as he attempted to get out, he was tripped by Xu Mingjun from behind.
Cheng Jia fell to the ground, looking at Xu Mingjun with eyes filled with disbelief, "You, how could you…"
"Don't blame me, I was just trying to save my own life!" Xu Mingjun's eyes showed no remorse, "If it weren't for you, Cheng Zong, not taking Brother Gu's words seriously, how could things have turned out like this? This must be a ghost targeting you. I'm an innocent person; I have the right to live!"
With that, he ran off in the direction they had come from at a rapid pace, leaving Cheng Jia behind.
Cheng Jia couldn't believe that the seemingly innocent person he had been pursuing for days turned out to be so ruthless, and all because he had offended Gu Wuji, who seemed quite reliable. This was an absolute disaster.
Refusing to give up, Cheng Jia also got up and ran, but he quickly lost sight of Xu Mingjun. Then, he heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground behind him. Turning his head, he saw that the head had rolled onto the ground, scaring him nearly out of his wits.
"Is anyone there? Someone help me—"
It's unclear if his call was effective, but a car really did approach from afar and stopped in front of him.
Feeling a surge of relief yet still terrified of the head that had rolled after him, Cheng Jia didn't even take a good look before he hurriedly got into the car and locked the door.
"Let's go! There's a ghost back there!" he said in panic. But when he looked up, his expression froze.
Sitting in the driver's seat was a body without a head!
This was his own car!
Cheng Jia was on the verge of breaking down, fearing he might actually die here. If someone could save him at this moment, he was willing to do anything they asked!
As the headless body began to move, Cheng Jia was about to pass out. But at that moment, a cellphone rang inside the car. It was Xu Mingjun's phone, left behind.
With trembling hands, Cheng Jia turned his head and saw the name displayed on the phone—Gu Wuji.
He picked up the phone almost with shaking hands, and a clear voice came through, "Hello?"
"Save me—save me—"