Chapter 37: Departing Early

International Trade Business District, Television Station Building.

Looking at the familiar building before him, Xie Sui let out a long sigh and uncomfortably tugged at his necktie.

After receiving the text message from Yayun Entertainment yesterday, Xie Sui had gone home and dug out the suit he used to wear for work. Since he had to record a short self-introduction video, it was better to dress more formally.

It was currently lunch break, and the entrance of the television station was filled with people in black suits coming and going. Xie Sui blended perfectly into the monochrome crowd.

After registering his information at the front desk and inquiring about the studio for the variety show recording, Xie Sui didn’t need a staff member to lead the way. He found the elevator himself and walked toward the studio with practiced ease.

As he passed the News and Publicity Department, a man roughly the same age as Xie Sui walked out of the office.

The man had his hands in his pockets and was slightly hunched over, swaying as he walked like a street thug on patrol. He barreled forward without looking where he was going, appearing completely out of place next to the well-mannered television station employees.

Xie Sui didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble, so he stepped out of the man’s path to let him pass first.

However, instead of walking on, the man circled around to stand in front of Xie Sui. He sized Xie Sui up with a look of disdain before calling out his name: “Xie Sui?”

Xie Sui was somewhat confused.

He didn’t know this person, nor did he remember having such a colleague in the news department.

“Can I help you?”

The man let out a sneer. “Just wanted to see who the useless guy was whose job I took over.”

Although Tang Junhao was only a figurehead who drew a salary and didn’t often visit the Zhaoping City Television Station, he couldn’t stand the fact that every time he came to the office, he heard a bunch of people talking about Xie Sui. Furthermore, there were even netizens leaving comments on the station’s official platform asking for Xie Sui to return… This made Tang Junhao, who was used to being the center of attention, extremely unhappy.

He had replaced Xie Sui; was he not worthy of this position? It was already beneath someone of Tang Junhao’s status to come to this small, pathetic television station. He hadn’t complained yet, so why did others dare to look down on him first?

Tang Junhao directed all this nameless anger toward Xie Sui. He had long ago memorized Xie Sui’s appearance. If Xie Sui actually dared to come to the station to stir up trouble over labor arbitration¹, he would definitely give him a piece of his mind.

Sure enough, before a month had even passed, Xie Sui had lost his patience and come knocking on the door, and it just so happened that Tang Junhao ran into him.

If he didn’t take this opportunity to kick him while he was down, his last name wasn’t Tang.

A look of realization appeared on Xie Sui’s face. So this was the “resource hire²” who had used connections to push him out of his job.

However, Xie Sui was busy heading to the studio and had no interest in dealing with this fellow. He said casually, “Are you done looking? Do you need me to give you an autograph? If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”

Xie Sui’s indifferent attitude caused the veins on Tang Junhao’s forehead to bulge with rage. “Who do you think you are, acting so arrogant? I don’t know how the front desk even let you in… Anyway, you definitely came to the station to cause trouble. Come on then, let me help you make a scene!”

Tang Junhao was extremely self-centered. He didn’t care if things getting out of hand would affect him or the station leader who had brought him in. Right now, he only wanted to humiliate Xie Sui and vent his frustration.

Looking at the crowd gathering because of the man’s shouting, Xie Sui frowned.

What was wrong with this guy? Was he insane? Why was he acting like he was the victim? Was he really not afraid that if this blew up, someone would report the fact that he had used backroom deals to steal someone else’s job?

Xie Sui didn’t want to get entangled with this madman. He frowned and tried to push through the crowd, but Tang Junhao blocked him with ill intent. “Look, I’ve already set the stage for you! Don’t be shy! Everyone, look, this is the former host of our news department. Tsk tsk, look at this suit. You haven’t changed it in ages, have you? The cuffs are even fraying. Could it be that you’ve run out of money? Do you need me to help you get a new set of clothes before you go to court?”

“And do you need me to return the favor by helping you change your skin?” Xie Sui took a deep breath, trying his best to suppress the hostility rising in his heart.

It had been a long time since he had encountered such a persistent lunatic. He felt as though his patience had significantly decreased.

Several people who had come out of the news department couldn’t watch any longer and tried to step forward to pull Tang Junhao away.

They were all Xie Sui’s former colleagues. While they weren’t particularly close with Xie Sui, they couldn’t stand Tang Junhao’s inexplicable outburst. If Tang Junhao made a huge scene, he might be fine, but everyone else in the News and Publicity Department would be the ones losing face and facing disciplinary action.

Just as the situation was becoming increasingly chaotic, the sound of high heels clicking against the floor suddenly echoed from the hallway behind them.

A woman with long curly hair, exquisite makeup, and a red suit skirt walked over quickly. She looked very young, with smooth, tight skin without a single wrinkle, but the aura of authority she carried from long-held high status was not something a young person could possess.

Xie Sui hadn’t expected to see Zhou Yayun at the Zhaoping City Television Station.

Zhou Yayun was the director of Yayun Entertainment, the person who had sent Xie Sui the invitation for the supernatural variety show, and Zhang Shengrui’s mother.

Xie Sui had met her once when he escorted Zhang Shengrui home in Xiangcheng. Because they were plagued by the Yuanchen Miasma³ at the time, Zhou Yayun and her husband had been emotionally unstable and constantly arguing, so Xie Sui hadn’t stayed long at their house.

Now, he could no longer see any Yuanchen Miasma on her. Presumably, the couple had listened to Zhang Shengrui’s words and returned to the temple to offer incense and apologize to the Yuanchen Statue.

However, Xie Sui found it a bit strange. Shouldn’t a director of an entertainment company like Zhou Yayun be very busy? Why had she come to Zhaoping City Television Station in person… and half a month early at that, before the variety show had even officially started filming.

While Xie Sui was lost in thought, Zhou Yayun had already walked quickly to his side.

She stood between Xie Sui and Tang Junhao, reaching out to shield Xie Sui behind her like a hen protecting its chick. She spoke to Tang Junhao with an unfriendly tone, “Excuse me, who might you be? Mr. Xie is a variety show guest invited by our Yayun Entertainment. Is there something you need from Mr. Xie?”

Although her words were polite, Zhou Yayun’s cold voice and disdainful gaze gave her an immediate, commanding presence that made it impossible for anyone to think of resisting.

Tang Junhao pulled his shoulders in uncomfortably and gave Zhou Yayun a fawning smile. “So Xie… Mr. Xie is a guest on your show…” He never imagined that Xie Sui had actually been invited as a guest for that hit supernatural variety show.

Partnering with Yayun Entertainment to film a supernatural variety show was the highest priority for the Zhaoping City Television Station. As a director of Yayun Entertainment, Zhou Yayun was someone Tang Junhao naturally recognized at a glance.

Zhou Yayun didn’t give him the time of day, saying coldly, “That’s right. Mr. Xie is a guest I spent a great deal of money on and had to invite many times before he agreed. Our company barely feels we can protect him enough in the palm of our hands; it’s not your place, whoever you are, to be nitpicking Mr. Xie.”

Xie Sui, who had happily signed the contract immediately after receiving the invitation text, looked at Zhou Yayun with a bit of a dazed expression.

As an insider at the television station, Tang Junhao naturally knew the production costs of this variety show, and he knew that the appearance fees for the guests were all several hundred thousand yuan and up.

The very same Xie Sui their station had dismissed so casually was being paid a fortune to be a guest. This was a direct slap in the face to the station.

But Tang Junhao didn’t dare say a word.

Even though he was used to acting like a tyrant because his family had a bit of influence, and he had never been lectured like this in public, he truly did not dare offend Yayun Entertainment.

Therefore, he could only suppress the frustration in his heart, scratch his head awkwardly, and put on a facade of simple-minded honesty as he repeatedly apologized to Zhou Yayun.

Zhou Yayun had no intention of accepting his apology. “Many television stations want to cooperate with our company. We only chose Zhaoping City Television this time for convenience, as the filming location is nearby. If your station makes an important guest of our program feel uncomfortable, we can switch to another one at any time. Our Yayun Entertainment can certainly afford a few million in liquidated damages⁴.”

Yayun Entertainment was a top-tier entertainment company in the industry, backed by Zhou’s Film Studio and possessing connections with the National Audio-Video Administration. Zhou Yayun truly wasn’t afraid of offending a small, broken local station.

Zhou Yayun stepped aside, revealing Xie Sui. “So you shouldn’t be apologizing to me, but to Mr. Xie. If Mr. Xie forgives you, then we will continue our cooperation. If Mr. Xie feels uncomfortable, then we’ll just pay the penalty and switch stations.”

More and more people began to gather. It was currently the station’s lunch break, and many employees were passing through the corridor. The three of them were very conspicuous standing in the middle of the hallway.

Tang Junhao’s face turned shades of blue and white.

Zhaoping City had put in a tremendous amount of effort to secure this cooperation with Yayun Entertainment to improve their ratings. If he ruined it, even with his family’s minor influence, he wouldn’t be able to bear the losses of a failed partnership.

“Do you feel uncomfortable? Good, you should.” Zhou Yayun crossed her arms, her red lips curling into a cold sneer. When facing Tang Junhao, this corporate executive, who usually knew exactly how to handle people, completely discarded the high emotional intelligence she had cultivated over the years. After all, a small fry like Tang Junhao wasn’t worth her lowering herself to befriend.

“When you stopped Mr. Xie in the hallway to mock him, did you think about how he felt?”

Seeing more and more people gathering in the corridor, Tang Junhao’s face turned red with suppressed emotion. Gritting his teeth, he said reluctantly to Xie Sui, “I am truly sorry. I shouldn’t have been so abrupt and offensive. It was my lack of manners. I apologize to you for my actions… Mr. Xie, please be the bigger man⁵ and forgive my mistake.”

Xie Sui also noticed the crowd gathering, and he even saw several very familiar colleagues. Seeing the situation escalating, he didn’t want to deal any further with a mentally unstable clown like Tang Junhao. He nodded and accepted the apology.

The look of disgust on Zhou Yayun’s face was very blunt. Having spent a long time in the entertainment industry, she had seen plenty of petty people like Tang Junhao who bullied others just because they had a bit of power. The way to make such people admit their mistakes was to use even greater power to crush them back; only then could they truly empathize. If it weren’t for Xie Sui, she wouldn’t have given someone like this a second glance.

Since Xie Sui no longer cared, she didn’t want to waste any more words on Tang Junhao. She took Xie Sui’s arm and turned to head toward the studio where the variety show was being recorded.

Just then, a voice dripping with bureaucratic arrogance⁶ suddenly rang out from the edge of the crowd. “What’s going on? Why is everyone gathered here? Is all the work done? Don’t you want your lunch break? Why do young people nowadays love to join in on the excitement so much? Go to work after lunch, don’t loiter in the hallways. With this lazy attitude, are you worthy of the salary the station pays you?”

This voice was like a foul stench suddenly appearing in an elevator; the gathered crowd all scrambled to disperse, leaving the scene as quickly as possible.

Hearing that familiar voice, Xie Sui silently pressed a hand to his forehead.

The person he least wanted to meet had appeared.

As the crowd dispersed, a familiar, portly figure appeared before the three of them.

This man was the head of the News and Publicity Department at Zhaoping Television, Kong Minghao, Xie Sui’s former boss.

Like all the station employees, he wore a black suit. However, the black suit on him looked very ill-fitting, with a beer belly that looked like a ten-month pregnancy making the suit buttons look as if they were about to pop off.

Xie Sui wanted to follow the crowd and leave, but for some reason, Tang Junhao blocked his path again… This idiot couldn’t possibly think that Kong Minghao’s arrival meant he had someone to back him up, could he?

Kong Minghao looked at the three people who hadn’t dispersed with the crowd. More accurately, after seeing Zhou Yayun, he hurriedly smoothed down the few remaining hairs on his balding head and walked over, striking what he thought was a suave and charming pose.

“Ms. Zhou, hello, hello. I’m so sorry you had to see such a messy scene at our station, ha ha ha.” Kong Minghao extended his thick, fleshy hand, making a move to shake hands with Zhou Yayun.

“Those youngsters haven’t seen much of the world; they all gathered here when they saw a beauty like you. By the way, why didn’t you tell me you were coming in person? I would have sent someone out to welcome you.”

This balding man cracked an inappropriately greasy joke, yet clearly considered himself a wit. Zhou Yayun had absolutely no desire to acknowledge him and gave no reaction to his outstretched hand.

Kong Minghao didn’t seem embarrassed, simply rubbing his hands together in silence.

His small eyes, squeezed into mere slits by the flesh of his cheeks, scanned the three people present before finally settling on Xie Sui.

Having seen the list of variety show personnel, he naturally wasn’t as stupid as Tang Minghao. Seeing that he couldn’t get a word in with Zhou Yayun, he walked over to Xie Sui with a beaming smile and patted his shoulder with great intimacy, as if there had never been any friction between them.

“Little Xie… now that you’ve been recognized by Ms. Zhou’s keen eye, you must work hard. Don’t let down her expectations.”

Xie Sui silently pulled away from his hand and said coldly, “I know. After all, you were blind enough to let a pearl like me gather dust. Now that I’ve met a discerning mentor like Ms. Zhou, I naturally won’t let her down.”

Kong Minghao choked on Xie Sui’s sharp retort. He instinctively wanted to adopt his old lecturing posture to scold him, but Zhou Yayun interrupted his momentum.

Zhou Yayun felt nothing but distaste for this inexplicably appearing bald fat man and didn’t want him wasting any more of her time.

She pulled Xie Sui behind her, a patently fake smile appearing on her face. “The variety show filming is about to begin, so we won’t stay for small talk. We’ll be leaving now.” Without waiting for Kong Minghao’s reaction, she took Xie Sui’s arm and turned away.

“Safe travels, safe travels,” Kong Minghao’s fawning voice drifted from behind them, giving Xie Sui a wave of goosebumps from sheer disgust.

Xie Sui wasn’t actually that familiar with Zhou Yayun either. After walking a short distance, he said with some awkwardness, “Thank you for helping me out of that situation.”

Zhou Yayun smiled dismissively. “I haven’t even thanked you yet. It’s thanks to you that Ruirui was able to return safely.”

**

Zhou Yayun personally led Xie Sui into the studio where the variety show was being recorded.

When they saw Xie Sui enter, the gazes of everyone in the studio, from the staff to the other guests, became extremely complicated.

Zhou Yayun, a director of Yayun Entertainment and the financial backer behind the entire show, had not only come two weeks early to inspect the filming progress but had actually gone out personally to greet Xie Sui after finding he wasn’t in the studio…

No one knew what Xie Sui’s deal was. Was he a star Yayun Entertainment planned to push with everything they had? To command such respect from a company director, just how massive was his background?

As soon as he followed Zhou Yayun into the studio and saw the scene inside, Xie Sui froze.

The modest-sized studio was pitch black. At first, Xie Sui thought it was simply because the lights were off.

However, upon closer inspection, he realized that the black mist filling the entire studio was actually black misfortune emanating from the guests.

Every person in the room was shrouded in the aura of death. The black misfortune spreading from their foreheads created a canopy of dark clouds over the studio, making it cold and heavy with Yin Energy. Xie Sui could barely even make out their faces.

Looking at this group of unlucky souls who seemed to have one foot in the grave, Xie Sui actually felt an urge to pull out a mirror and check his own face. He wanted to see if he also looked like a doomed man with a blackened forehead.

With this group gathered together, they could film a sequel to Final Destination at any moment without needing a single special effect.

It was just a supernatural exploration show… surely it shouldn’t be this bad.

Were they filming a variety show or charging into a nest of ghosts?

Most of the participants in this recording were artists from Yayun Entertainment, all of them popular stars.

Including Xie Sui, there were six people involved in the recording. Four of them, two men and two women, were regular cast members, while Xie Sui and another girl were Guest Performers appearing only for this episode.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, the producer standing on the stage tapped a whiteboard and cleared his throat. “The format of this supernatural exploration show is different from previous ones. We will broadcast in two formats: one is a live stream, and the other is our edited episodes.”

“During the recording period, there will be five hours of live streaming every day. The guests will hold the cameras themselves, with each person having one hour. You can film the surroundings or interact with the live comments… Note that you cannot reveal the specific content of our show during the stream. Since the live stream acts as a sort of trailer, we’ve decided to set out a few days early to familiarize you with the filming location.”

After speaking, the producer waved to a nearby staff member, who hurried over to distribute printed sheets to the six guests.

Xie Sui flipped through his copy. The sheets listed precautions for the next seven days, as well as the clothes they needed to bring. The production team would provide outdoor equipment, so there was no need to bring their own.

However, Xie Sui flipped from beginning to end without finding any mention of where the show was being recorded. He couldn’t help but feel curious.

He wondered what kind of place could be so dangerous that it would shroud them in such misfortune before they had even arrived.

“So, try to select the assistants you want to bring within these five days. You are only allowed to bring two. We set out in five days, on March 28th.”

---

Translator’s Notes

---

1. labor arbitration: A formal legal process in China (劳动仲裁) for resolving disputes between employees and employers, such as unfair dismissal. It is usually a mandatory precursor to filing a lawsuit in court. ↩
2. resource hire: A translation of ‘ziyuan ka’ (资源咖), a slang term in the Chinese entertainment and corporate world for someone who gets jobs or roles solely through powerful connections and ‘resources’ rather than talent or merit. ↩
3. Yuanchen Miasma: A supernatural affliction (元辰秽气) related to the ‘Yuanchen’ or ‘Original Star,’ which in Chinese astrology represents a person’s life fate. Miasma or ‘filthy qi’ indicates a spiritual corruption or curse affecting one’s luck and health. ↩
4. liquidated damages: A common term in Chinese business contracts (违约金) referring to a pre-determined sum of money that must be paid as a penalty if one party breaches the agreement, such as a production company pulling out of a TV deal. ↩
5. be the bigger man: Translates the idiom ‘daren bu ji xiaoren guo’ (大人不记小人过), literally ‘a person of great status does not record the faults of a small person.’ It appeals to the target’s ego by framing forgiveness as a sign of superior social or moral standing. ↩
6. bureaucratic arrogance: Refers to ‘guanchuang’ (官腔), a specific way of speaking used by officials or managers that is pompous, full of jargon, and designed to assert authority while avoiding direct answers. ↩