ALWARFC Chapter 50

“Thud—”

The crew had just finished tidying up the equipment and were about to leave when they suddenly heard a loud thumping sound. Everyone looked around, left and right, following the noise.

“Where did that sound come from? Did some prop fall to the ground?”

“It seems to have come from the main hall,” someone suggested.

A person tried to enter and check it out, but couldn’t push the door open. Right after, the assistant director rushed over, waving them off and shooing them away: “Once you’re done, just clock out and go home to rest. Don’t worry about what’s happening inside.”

“Alright.”

Though still puzzled, the props master responded and started heading out. On their way, they couldn’t resist curiously asking, “Brother Zhao, is there some special job going on in the studio that needs extra arrangements?”

The assistant director rubbed his chin, shook his head, and replied, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know either?”

“Yeah, anyway, Director You is in there and told me not to let anyone disturb him, no matter what kind of commotion we hear inside,” the assistant director explained. Just as he finished, another muffled thud came from inside: “Thud—.”

The props master, now alarmed, asked, “It won’t be something life-threatening, will it?”

Assistant Director Zhao looked at him strangely and remarked, “If anything happens, it’ll be Director You who’s in trouble. Why are you the one panicking?”

Props Master: ???

So, does Director You’s life not matter?

Fine, I have to admit, among all the assistant directors, Director Zhao has the most impeccable logic. Director You entrusted him with the duty of guarding the place. Even if he were to die inside today, no one would be able to enter and rescue him.

In the main hall, You Sui’s body sank into the sofa as if it were made of cotton. Su Weisheng stood in front of him, one foot planted on the sofa between his legs. His body leaned slightly forward, grabbing his collar to keep him under control. Meanwhile, the other hand gripped his cheeks, moving and scrutinizing his face. Suddenly, he noticed that the features and complexion of this face were gradually being assimilated into Yuan Le, a figure from his past life.

Was this a result of the shared influence between reincarnation and the primary soul’s consciousness? Or was the primary soul residing within this body?

You Sui leaned back lazily, tilting his head to expose his cold, pale, and fragile neck, allowing himself to be manipulated. When Su Weisheng leaned forward, You Sui simply wrapped his arms around the other’s waist, like a predator who had lost interest in hunting, indulging in the comfort of its caretaker.

Su Weisheng tugged at his collar. “What kind of mischief are you up to now?”

You Sui coughed reflexively, his chest trembling slightly, but his fox-like eyes were full of amusement. He complained, “Whatever you want to ask, I’ll answer. There’s no need to withhold even a little sweetness, right?”

Su Weisheng sneered, “If you were truly this obedient, you wouldn’t have been hiding in the shadows, causing so much trouble. And now, suddenly admitting everything? Something’s definitely off.”

Suddenly, You Sui tightened his grip on Su Weisheng’s waist. Caught off guard, Su Weisheng was pulled directly into his lap. Just as he was about to react, the man buried his face in Su Weisheng’s shoulder, clinging to him obsessively and inhaling his familiar scent with a satisfied sigh.

He spoke softly, “Sheng Sheng, I’ve waited two hundred years for you. Now that I’ve finally found you, how could I bear to hide away?”

Su Weisheng’s hand trembled slightly as he gripped the hammer. Lowering his gaze, he looked at the little monster that had been abandoned by its master for two centuries. His voice softened as he asked, “Does it hurt?”

“It hurts,” the man replied with a light laugh, fully understanding the question. “I stripped my flesh from my body, then separated the most deeply rooted fragment of my soul and placed it in the bracelet you gave me. I thought, surely one of these paths would allow my memories to endure. That way, no matter how many years passed, I’d have a chance to find you again whenever you woke up.”

His breath, searing and hot, passed through the thin fabric of Su Weisheng’s shirt, just as intense as his obsessive love and overwhelming possessiveness.

Su Weisheng ran his hand through the man’s tousled hair. The man leaned into the touch, rubbing his head against Su Weisheng’s hand. His fox-like eyes narrowed in contentment, resembling a large, affectionate dog seeking attention.

Though they were nominally master and servant, the reality was quite the opposite. High Priest Su Tiao had always known that Yuan Le was his devout follower, invincible blade, and loyal beast that would never turn on him—a little monster he had personally nurtured.

Su Weisheng sighed softly.

However, while the little monster would never betray its master, its possessiveness was overwhelming. It would not allow its master to raise another monster, even if it was merely an imagined rival.

He asked, “Did you turn Si Ming into the spirit of an app just to retaliate against him for frequently staying up late talking with me back then?”

You Sui paused in his playful movements and replied nonchalantly, “I didn’t retaliate against him. That was his own choice.”

Su Weisheng sneered coldly, “Are you sure you want to shirk responsibility?”

“Fine,” You Sui admitted, “I’ll confess I had ulterior motives when I suggested it. Because let’s be honest, if you’d discovered that I was the artifact spirit, you wouldn’t have hesitated to beat me to a pulp. And sure enough, he took the fall and confirmed my suspicions.”

He paused for a moment and added, “But that was only part of the reason. The main reason was that when I designed this app, he thought the rules of the tribulation were too frivolous. After a brief discussion, I suggested he serve as the artifact spirit to test you, and he agreed.”

Su Weisheng replied flatly, “You two have been messing with this app for so long, yet I still don’t know what the final stage of my tribulation is.”

You Sui mumbled something under his breath.

Su Weisheng didn’t catch it. “What did you say?”

“…The tribulation doesn’t have strict requirements,” he clarified. “It’s just about completing a series of tasks through the app to familiarize you with the affairs of both the mortal and underworld realms. It’s merely an auxiliary tool. When you can fully control it, you’ll have passed the test.”

Su Weisheng shoved him away, staring at him with an expressionless face.

You Sui, looking completely innocent, met his gaze.

“You’re telling me it’s that simple?” Su Weisheng asked skeptically. “You must’ve set up some kind of trap in there.”

“And if I had, would you not be able to spot it?” You Sui countered.

Su Weisheng carefully recalled all his memories of interacting with the app. First, he confirmed that Si Ming must be bug. As for why bug would make You Sui dream every time the wooden fish was struck—it could be explained as being influenced by the fragment of the soul in the bracelet. However, at the time, his preconceived notion was that bug was problematic, so he didn’t consider that the fragment of the soul could also hear the sound of the wooden fish.

If Si Ming himself served as the artifact spirit for the assessment, then at least the app itself wouldn’t have any issues. The problem could only lie with…

He glanced at You Sui.

Yes, this dog couldn’t lie, but he definitely hadn’t told the whole truth.

“Sheng Sheng…” The little monster’s face was full of sincerity. “I have no other desires now. I only hope to merge into a normal person as soon as possible and spend eternity by your side.”

Su Weisheng remained unmoved. “Then sort out the affairs of the underworld first, and stop causing trouble in front of me.”

You Sui’s voice became even more earnest. “I’d love to sort it out, but I’m just a mortal. I don’t hold control over the underworld. The only thing I can do is stay with you.”

Su Weisheng frowned slightly. His words made it clear that the primary soul was still outside.

But… where could it be?

And how had he managed to surpass Si Ming and become the new ruler of the underworld? How much hidden intrigue lay behind all of this?

Su Weisheng looked at You Sui. For now, it seemed unlikely that he could extract any more information from him.

Late at night, the kitchen echoed with the clattering sounds of pots and pans, occasionally accompanied by the sweet voice of a cooking instructor from a video playing on a phone.

Su Ran was following a tutorial, trying to learn how to cook.

Outside the kitchen, Old Lu was berating his son with deep frustration, “Look at Ran Ran, such a filial child. During the day, he goes out to buy food for his great-grandfather, and at night, when he can’t go out, he cooks it himself. Is there a better child in the world than him? And then look at you. All you do is drag your dad around eating takeout, all of it junk food!”

Lu Huanjin flatly reminded him, “Dad, this is already the third pot of porridge he’s burnt.”

“So what? Ran Ran is bound to get it right eventually!” Old Lu rebutted with the confidence of a die-hard fan. “At least he’s willing to put in the effort to learn how to cook. And you? You don’t even have the heart for that! I’m so envious of Little Great-Grandfather, getting to eat such a balanced diet every day.”

The old man began sighing dramatically again. “It’s my fault—bad genes—produced an unfilial son like you.”

Lu Huanjin tried to console him, “Dad, just hang in there. The month is almost over.”

“Hang in there? I refuse!” Old Lu declared stubbornly. “You’re not even thirty yet. Sure, you can eat junk food, but I’m at an age where every day counts. I won’t endure this kind of injustice!”

Lu Huanjin looked at his melodramatic father, then at Su Ran, who was struggling like his life depended on it in the kitchen. For a moment, everything went black before his eyes, and he began to wonder if these two cousins were afflicted with some peculiar ailment.

The two of them were caught in their own competitive spiral—why did even bystanders have to get dragged into it?

During their conversation, Su Ran, with a dark expression, threw his apron to the ground and shouted angrily, “Forget it! I’m done with this cooking nonsense!” With that, he stormed out.

Old Lu pulled his son into a corner, out of sight, and pointed at Su Ran’s retreating figure with certainty. “See that? Ran Ran must be sneaking out to buy food for Great-Grandfather!”

Lu Huanjin, reluctantly caught in this mess, could only respond with silence: “…”

Old Lu wasn’t wrong at all. The kitchen disaster-prone Su Ran, who had failed repeatedly at cooking, was indeed heading out to buy food.

The show had a curfew? No problem. Under the cover of night, Su Ran stepped onto a stool, vaulted over the courtyard wall easily, and landed steadily on the other side. Dusting off his pants casually, he hummed a little tune and prepared to leave, only to have his wrist firmly grabbed by a hand.

“Who’s there?”

Startled, Su Ran turned his head, and his cheerful expression immediately darkened. “Lu Huanjin, are you seriously stalking me? What’s wrong with you?”

Lu Huanjin, who had followed him over the wall, landed gracefully, his suit and trousers immaculate. With a charming smile on his handsome face, he said, “You’re going out to buy food, right? Take me with you.”

“And why should I?” Su Ran raised an eyebrow.

Lu Huanjin replied calmly, “Because you dragged me into this competition. Old Lu keeps comparing me to you every day.”

Su Ran wore an expression of schadenfreude as he said, “Well, you deserve it.”

Lu Huanjin pulled out his ultimate weapon: “If you don’t take me with you, I’ll immediately call the show crew to catch you. It’s curfew time right now—are you sure you want to go against me and risk not preparing a late-night meal for your great-grandfather?”

“You…!” Su Ran fumed, angrily gritting his teeth. “Drive yourself to buy food—why are you following me?”

Unmoved, Lu Huanjin replied, “I didn’t bring my car, and it’s impossible to catch a ride at this hour. Since you’ve already snuck out, I know you must have a solution. Of course, I’m coming with you.”

He paused, then softened his approach. “Help me this time, and I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”

Su Ran scoffed dismissively, but for the sake of the bigger picture, he tilted his chin to signal him forward. “Stop talking nonsense and follow me. Let me tell you—this won’t happen again. My ride isn’t just for anyone.”

A ride?

Lu Huanjin was a little surprised. Did Su Ran actually drive himself to buy food? But Su Ran didn’t have a driver’s license…

As this thought crossed his mind, he followed hesitantly, watching Su Ran take a series of twists and turns before they arrived at a parking lot. Su Ran pulled out a key and pressed a button, and with the “beep beep” of flashing lights, Lu Huanjin finally got a clear view of the top star’s new ride—a sleek, stylish, jet-black vehicle that stood out dramatically and even had an open-air design…

It was a household electric tricycle.

Lu Huanjin fell silent. No wonder it didn’t require a driver’s license.

Su Ran not only showed no embarrassment but also jumped onto the vehicle with agility and ease. Sitting in the driver’s seat, one hand on the steering wheel, he triumphantly raised an eyebrow at Lu Huanjin. “Get in.”

That single “Get in” carried the commanding aura of someone driving a luxury sports car, ready to take a date for a spin.

Lu Huanjin cast a speechless glance at the little tricycle, circling it twice. Before Su Ran could explode in frustration and yell at him, he finally moved, slowly stepping onto the seat. The driver’s and passenger’s seats were so close together that they touched with no gap in between. Sitting down, he had to spread his legs and place them on the footrests on either side. As a result, the two were now positioned almost body-to-body, sitting intimately close.

Looking down, he could clearly see Su Ran’s hair being tousled by the wind and the white jade earring clipped onto his ear.

For a brief moment, Lu Huanjin felt a little dazed. Hadn’t it been six or seven years since they’d been this close?

Su Ran didn’t seem to notice how close they were. He directly twisted the electric tricycle’s throttle, and with the wind howling, the tiny electric vehicle zoomed off.

In the dead of night, no one noticed that the top star with the highest commercial value in the entertainment industry and a wealthy investor who casually made multi-million-dollar deals were now traveling down the road in a comical little electric tricycle.

Moreover, the top star joyfully enjoyed the cool breeze, looking as happy as a carefree child. While driving, he sighed dramatically, “It’s such a shame that you’re the one in the back seat. What bad luck. How great it would be if it were a pretty girl instead.”

Lu Huanjin, smiling slyly, teased, “Wow, Ran Bao, how heartless of you. You were just reading fanfiction about our ship in the live stream earlier, and now you’re already tired of me?”

“Tch!” Su Ran dismissed disdainfully: “Where does someone like you get such pride?”

“Oh, really?”

Lu Huanjin slowly took out his phone, pulled up a saved erotic story, and began reading it line by line: “Su Ran was caught by Lu Huanjin. His eyes were covered by a black cloth…”

Su Ran’s face changed dramatically: “Shut up! You even altered the names!”

“Did I alter them?” Lu Huanjin leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Ran Bao, don’t you already know in your heart who’s reading the original version? If you were to read further during the livestream, what would come next?”

His deep voice conveyed ambiguity as he recited word by word, line by line.

Su Ran couldn’t handle hearing any of it.

“Rubbish! Utter nonsense!” He didn’t even have the mind to argue that he was straight—his head was filled with only one thing: How the hell could I be the bottom?! “Lu Huanjin, you’re the one who—”

In his fluster, he stomped the brake. The electric tricycle came to an abrupt stop. Su Ran’s body first lurched forward from inertia, then uncontrollably flung backward, slamming right into the man behind him.

Su Ran let out a pained hiss, and the next moment, his head exploded with a buzzing boom.

“You… You f*cking…” The top star’s lips trembled as he stammered out curses: “You… You…”

Lu Huanjin had been caught completely off guard by the sudden collision, pain flashing so intensely that it nearly blacked out his vision. He almost coughed up a mouthful of blood on this assassin. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he said through gritted teeth, “Calm down… I’m in more pain than you. Quit yelling!”

If it had been any other guy who got hit like that, he’d be dead.

Su Ran couldn’t empathize in the slightest. He was going crazy, slapping the steering wheel in frustration: “Lu Huanjin, what the actual hell is wrong with you… Are you sick in the head…? Even this! Even this is possible?!”

Suddenly, the electric tricycle jolted hard, and right after, they felt the seat dip lower.

There was no time to worry about the awkwardness from a moment ago. The two locked eyes, each seeing the same terror mirrored in the other’s gaze.

Shit…

In the study, Su Weisheng was sitting in a chair, wide-eyed, staring down at a paper figure sitting cross-legged on the desk, arms crossed.

“Si Ming…” he hesitated and said, “Did you regain your memory?”

Bug kept a straight, cold face. “No.”

Su Weisheng let out an “Mm”, then awkwardly reached out to pat his head. “It’s better if you didn’t. If you did get your memory back and remembered being glitched out for two lifetimes, not to mention getting beat up so many times in Yuan Le’s place, your whole mental state would probably collapse.”

Bug finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. Face dark with fury, he exploded, “It was bad enough that you hit me, but you also kept forcing me to admit I was Yuan Le while doing it! In the end, I almost accepted that I was your handmaid Le’er in my past life!”

Tragic. No one had it worse than poor, wronged Si Ming.

Su Weisheng turned his face away, unable to bear the sight, too embarrassed to meet his eyes. In the gentlest tone, he tried to console him: “Think about it. At the very least, there’s one piece of good news—you’re not Le’er!”

“If you really can’t get over it, I’ll give you two options: One, you can punch me to your heart’s content. Two, you can go punch You Sui instead. Your choice.” As the High Priest, he was at least the type to take responsibility when he messed up.

The paper figure’s little face was dark and stormy, hands clasped behind his back as he paced across the desk, seeming to weigh which option would bring more satisfaction.

Then suddenly, he asked Su Weisheng, “Was Le’er really your handmaid?”

Su Weisheng: “Nope. I was messing with you guys. Yuan Le is a man.”

Bug looked even angrier!

Furiously, he slammed a tiny hand down on a book and growled through gritted teeth, “I choose the third option!”

Su Weisheng: “Hm?”

With pinpointed hatred and shocking clarity, Bug declared, “When you find the complete Yuan Le again, I demand that he wear a handmaid outfit and play Le’er for a whole month!”

Holy crap! That idea was genius—he wanted to see it too!

Su Weisheng gave him a big thumbs-up and praised him: “As expected of the blackened Si Ming—sharp mind, unique ideas. It’s settled, then. We’ll go with that when the time comes.”

The paper figure and Su Weisheng shook hands, and a tacit agreement was reached between the two.

After resolving the bug issue, Su Weisheng suddenly remembered something else. He asked, “Can you access the reincarnation data from the Book of Life and Death?”

Bug shook his head. “Right now, I don’t have the clearance.”

Su Weisheng’s eyes lit up. “You don’t right now—which means if we meet certain conditions, there’s still a chance you can get a higher clearance, right?”

Bug clutched his little chest in agony. “You’re trying to glitch me again!”

When it came to exploiting loopholes, there wasn’t the slightest bit of sentiment between Su Weisheng and his artifact spirit. He slowly pulled out his small white jade hammer, looking at Bug gently as he said, “You gonna say it yourself, or should I help you?”

Bug: “……”

With a heart full of resentment, the paper figure said, “The Book of Life and Death is currently running on another set of automated programming. Officials without clearance can’t access it, but it’s not entirely impossible either. For instance, the Book’s function is to assist wandering spirits in drawing lots for reincarnation, but some spirits carry too much resentment or obsession. Even if they draw a number, they still can’t reincarnate, and can only wait for the number in their hand to expire and be voided.”

“If we can help these kinds of spirits let go of their obsessions or resentments and move on to reincarnation, we’d essentially be assisting the Book’s process. That way, we can trick the Book into thinking we’re part of the system, temporarily allowing us to access its functions.”

In other words, help ghosts reincarnate, solve the Book’s operational problems—and then sneak into its program like a virus.

Su Weisheng slowly set down the little jade hammer, radiating oppressive energy, and said cheerfully, “You should’ve just said so earlier. If there’s such a noble and helpful task like assisting the Book of Life and Death, how could we not take part?”

Bug: “……”

Su Weisheng tried to reason with him: “You’re my app spirit. You should be on the same page as me. Don’t keep thinking I’m exploiting you or treating you like some bug to be glitched. We should be working together to exploit the Underworld’s loopholes.”

Bug: “……”

Su Weisheng added, “If you detect any spirits that meet the criteria, make sure to notify me.”

Bug, thoroughly humiliated: “…Got it.”

Su Weisheng was more than satisfied. The more he thought about it, the more he felt having Si Ming by his side was a great thing. When it came to exploiting loopholes, they really were like dual swords working in perfect sync—twice the result with half the effort. Honestly, this was probably the only good thing Le’er had ever done.

By the time they finished chatting, it was already 1 a.m.

Stretching as he walked outside, Su Weisheng happened to spot Bai Songyin pacing nervously around the courtyard like an ant on a hot pan. Puzzled, he asked, “Xiao Bai, what’s going on?”

Bai Songyin raised his phone and showed him the unanswered calls, saying, “Brother Ran went out to buy you a late-night snack. It’s been over an hour now. He should’ve been back by now, but not only is he still missing, his phone’s also turned off… Do you think something might’ve happened?”

Hm? There’s actually something going on?

Su Weisheng did a quick calculation with his fingers, but strangely enough, he couldn’t sense any danger surrounding his great-grandson. On top of that, there was a faint, almost imperceptible feeling lingering in his heart—as if something had been tampered with or was obscuring his perception. Could it be that someone in this era, someone on his level, was secretly targeting Su Ran?

That thought made his expression gradually turn serious.

Could it be Yuan Le’s doing? No… that little monster had a strong sense of boundaries—he’d never joke around when it came to matters like this.

Then… who else in the world could possibly be capable of clouding his senses?

Su Weisheng pondered, and suddenly something clicked. He quickly strode toward the study. Seeing his grave expression, Bai Songyin was startled and rushed to follow close behind.

He watched as great-grandfather flipped through the xuan paper on the desk one sheet at a time, but found nothing. Then Su Weisheng marched straight into Su Ran’s room and flung the door open. As they looked up, they saw a sheet of xuan paper stuck to the wall. On the table beneath it were several lit candles and a small offering of fruits—it looked like his great-grandson had been quite earnest with the ritual.

Bai Songyin stepped forward and took the xuan paper off the wall. On it, four large characters were written in bold, sweeping strokes: “May all wishes come true”. The effortless, elegant calligraphy was clearly great-grandfather’s handiwork.

And in the lower corner, scrawled in crooked pen strokes, was a small handwritten note:

—Wishing Lu Huanjin chokes while eating, scalds himself while drinking, trips at home, and gets a flat tire when going out.

—Wishing Su Ning loses money every day, gets dumped every day, and gets beaten by his own dad every day.

“……” Okay. It’s clear now—these two are the most hated.

Su Weisheng looked completely speechless. Alright then. Case closed.

He turned to Bai Songyin and asked, “Did your Brother Ran go out by himself, or was he with Lu Huanjin?”

“By himself, of course!” Bai Songyin answered without hesitation.

Old Lu poked his head out and said faintly, “Nope, my son went with him.”

Bai Songyin: “……” Crap!

Alright. Really case closed.

Our top star definitely cursed those two so hard that he accidentally dragged himself into it, too.

Su Weisheng: “Go pick them up. At this point, they’re probably pushing the tricycle back home.”

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