Chapter Twenty-Eight: Filming the Dating Reality Show, 27

Nangong Hengmo and Li Wenya were each other's dates. Wei Ziyi was dating Li Wenya. Jiang Han and Nan Chu were each other's dates. Si Junyan was dating Nan Chu. Shen Shangqian and Xu Fei were each other's dates. Yang Yi was dating Shen Shangqian. Meng Yuan and Cheng Luoli were each other's dates. Zhuo Han was dating Meng Yuan. Sha Mengyuan was dating Meng Yuan. Fang You was dating Cheng Luoli.

Those who were selected by multiple people were responsible for scheduling the dates. They could choose to have group dates or separate dates, according to their own preference. Afterward, they sent their "heartbeat" text messages, and the live broadcast concluded.

Nan Chu looked at Jiang Han and Si Junyan. "How would you like to arrange our date?"

"A solo date," they both said in unison.

Afterward, they exchanged a look and added, "A date for three."

A solo date would leave them wondering what the other might be doing; a group date was better, as it would at least prevent the other from having any unfair advantage.

"Fine, a date for three it is. You two should head back and get some rest. I'll arrange tomorrow's schedule." With that, Nan Chu returned to her room.

Back in her room, Nan Chu took out her phone and began planning the next day's date. It took her nearly two hours to finalize the arrangements.

The next morning, the three of them had breakfast together, and Nan Chu drove them to their date. The first stop was the Forbidden City. After touring the palace, they went to Jingshan Park and climbed the Wanchun Pavilion to overlook the entire Forbidden City and the beautiful scenery of Beijing. By noon, they visited Nanluoguxiang, one of the oldest districts in Beijing, filled with traditional local charm. In the afternoon, they went to Shichahai for a boat ride.

Stepping off the boat, they strolled along the lakeshore, refreshed by the gentle breeze.

"This is so pleasant," Nan Chu smiled.

Jiang Han and Si Junyan both gazed at her with deep affection, smiling along with her.

"It is indeed," Si Junyan replied.

"Shall we find somewhere to sit for a while?" Jiang Han suggested.

"Sure," Nan Chu nodded. They found a spot nearby to rest.

Nan Chu was admiring the view when suddenly, a vengeful spirit appeared in the distance. She initially intended to ignore it, but the spirit suddenly lunged at a man, causing him to fall into the lake. The spirit began frantically pressing the man down, intent on killing him.

"Someone fell into the water!" Si Junyan and the others noticed.

Si Junyan and Jiang Han rushed over and dived into the lake to save him. Seeing them jump in, Nan Chu's expression shifted—she worried the spirit might harm them. She glanced at the cameraman, and seeing he was focused on the lake, she slipped out of the frame. She retrieved a spirit-repelling talisman from her inventory, acquired from the Infinite World, and sent it flying toward the spirit.

Struck by the talisman, the spirit let out a shriek and fled.

Jiang Han and Si Junyan reached the man the spirit had pushed into the water. They pulled him to safety and began performing CPR. Nan Chu and the cameraman ran over to them.

The man coughed a few times and woke up. "Thank you for saving me," Qian Zujie said gratefully.

"It's fine," Jiang Han asked, puzzled. "How did you fall into the lake?"

"I don't know. I was just walking along when it felt like someone pushed me. Once I hit the water, it felt like something was dragging me down, and I couldn't swim back to the surface."

*[It must be that bitch; she won't even let me rest in peace after death.]*
*[I need to find a master to eliminate that woman.]*

Hearing his inner thoughts, Nan Chu realized he knew the spirit. Perhaps he had done something evil, which was why the spirit was out for his life.

Qian Zujie sneezed from the cold wind, left his contact information, and departed. Si Junyan and Jiang Han bought new clothes at a nearby mall, and after changing, the three returned to the guesthouse. Nan Chu gave them medicine from her inventory to prevent a cold. Their rescue act quickly trended on social media.

Following the evening games, Nan Chu and Si Junyan were paired up again for the next day's date. After the broadcast ended that night, the spirit they had seen earlier appeared in Nan Chu's room. Nan Chu covered the camera, opened the window, and used the Clear Wind Step to slip out of the guesthouse. The spirit followed.

"Speak. Why are you looking for me?"

The spirit shifted back to her original form—an intellectual and beautiful woman. "Hello, my name is Yue Ruman."

Yue Ruman told her story. She was from Shaoxing, an only child from a wealthy business family. In college, she met Qian Zujie. Attracted by his handsome appearance and diligence, she agreed to date him. Qian Zujie came from a poor rural background in Bijie, but she was blinded by love and secretly married him before graduation. By her senior year, she was pregnant with their daughter.

After graduation, she became a stay-at-home mother. Qian Zujie was an expert at manipulation; he treated her parents well, and over four years, they came to accept him. He gradually took over the family business. However, Qian Zujie was a "phoenix man"—a treacherous, venomous person. Ten years into their marriage, she discovered his infidelity. To seize the family fortune, he took her back to his hometown and poisoned her, burying her body in the deep mountains.

To keep her parents from finding out, he used AI face-swapping technology to call them every few days. Later, he lured them to Beijing under the pretense that she was ill, fed them antipsychotic drugs to induce dementia, and sent them to a nursing home. Within two years, he had them killed. The entire Yue family fortune fell into his hands, which he used to support other women and children, while her own daughter was mistreated, starved, and treated like a servant by his mistress.

It took her eight years as a vengeful spirit to gain the strength to kill the man who destroyed her family, only to be interrupted by Nan Chu.

"What do you need me to do?" Nan Chu asked. "Should I call the police?"

"No," she replied. If Qian Zujie went to prison, it would affect her daughter's background checks for school or employment. Killing him herself was the only solution. "I only hope that in the future, you can look after my daughter."

Yue Ruman gave her daughter's name and address before vanishing. Nan Chu tried to call out to her, but it was too late. She returned to her room, weighed down by thoughts of Yue Ruman, and struggled to fall asleep.