Song Miaozhu pressed her eye to the peephole and glanced outside. Two middle-aged men were standing there, and Chen Yuanyuan was with them.
She stood in front of the door, blocking them from trying to break in.
"..." Anger simmered in Song Miaozhu's chest.
"Since when did the SEIU send two men to harass a woman in the middle of the night?"
She yanked the door open and pulled Chen Yuanyuan behind her. "What do you want?"
Her sudden appearance caught the two SEIU agents off guard. They still held their lock-picking tools, frozen in awkward silence.
"Miaozhu, close the door!" Chen Yuanyuan pressed on it in a panic. Seeing Song Miaozhu hadn't pulled back, she whispered urgently, "They say they're from the SEIU and insisted on seeing you immediately. I wouldn't give them the key, and they were about to break in. I don't think they're trustworthy!"
"It's all right. They probably really are from the SEIU," Song Miaozhu said calmly, pointing to her own eyes. "They're giving off spiritual light."
"They're really from the SEIU?" Chen Yuanyuan blinked. "The SEIU is this aggressive? Showing up unannounced at night and trying to break in without warning?"
"We have an emergency. A matter that affects the very survival of the SEIU," one of the men said hurriedly. "The main bureau ordered us to contact you at any cost. You weren't answering your phone, so we had no choice but to come here in person."
"Master Song, good evening. I'm Yuan Weiyuan, the leader of the Jiangcheng SEIU Division. This is Master Lou Junchi, currently the strongest member in our team."
"We have been instructed to establish immediate contact between you and the Central SEIU via video call. The situation is urgent. We sincerely apologize for the intrusion."
Both men gave a formal bow to express their regret.
Chen Yuanyuan was caught off guard by their sudden change in attitude. She muttered under her breath, "Now they sort of look like official people…"
"Come in then," Song Miaozhu said.
She understood perfectly—their politeness was conditional, hinging on her cooperation. If she refused, the Bureau wouldn't hesitate to force her.
Just like her apartment door: if she didn't open it, they'd smash through.
"They've never seen me as someone to fear."
No matter how strong her spiritual power was, in their eyes, it just made her crafts a little prettier or her health a bit better. They still hadn't realized the true potential of spiritual power.
And Song Miaozhu's mastery of the Secret Art of Paper Crafting wasn't yet enough to go head-to-head with the SEIU. She wasn't at the stage where she could do whatever she pleased.
So, even if she was furious inside, even if they showed up in the middle of the night with tools in hand, she still had to keep up appearances and let them in.
But hospitality? That was out of the question.
She led Chen Yuanyuan inside and heated up a cup of milk to help her calm down. Only then did she go into the living room, open a box on the coffee table, and pull out her phone right in front of Lou Junchi and Yuan Weiyuan.
The phone was still receiving calls, but because it was on silent, it only lit up without making a sound.
"You came to find me, so I'm guessing you know who I am," she said. "When I go to the underworld, I don't like being disturbed. I always leave my phone far away and put it on silent."
The explanation served dual purposes: justifying her unresponsiveness and misleading them into thinking she remained aware of the living world while in the underworld.
A subtle warning—don't try anything.
Yuan Weiyuan and Lou Junchi exchanged a glance. "We understand, Master Song. There's been a major upheaval at the SEIU. What we need to discuss with you is very important. Miss Chen is just an ordinary person…"
Chen Yuanyuan sat firmly beside Song Miaozhu, sipping her milk, pretending not to understand the implied suggestion.
Left with no choice, Yuan Weiyuan spoke directly. "Miss Chen, could you please give us some privacy?"
Chen Yuanyuan stayed rooted to her spot and replied firmly, "Two grown men, alone with Miaozhu? What if you try to kidnap her?
I'm staying right here. I'll have you know I've set up a timed email. If I don't deactivate it within two hours, it'll automatically send to everyone I know and all my social media platforms.
It includes the surveillance footage of you trying to break in tonight. I may only have a hundred thousand followers, but even if you're official agents, you can't ignore the public impact. Your superiors will probably throw you under the bus just to calm the outrage."
She mustered everything she had from the few political dramas she'd read and turned it into a sharp and threatening speech.
"This…" Yuan Weiyuan looked at Song Miaozhu, clearly at a loss.
"Let her stay," Song Miaozhu said. "You're calling the Central SEIU, right? Just make sure she stays out of the frame. Yuanyuan won't interrupt."
She appreciated Chen Yuanyuan's help. With someone like her going out of the way to stand up for her, there was no need to ask her to leave.
"Yes, yes! I won't get in your way. I just want to stay right here," Chen Yuanyuan said quickly.
"Fine," Yuan Weiyuan finally relented. The Central Bureau was urging them to hurry, and they didn't have time to argue anymore.
Lou Junchi took out a laptop, set it up, and adjusted the settings. "It's ready."
Yuan Weiyuan looked at Song Miaozhu.
She gave a nod. "Go ahead."
Only then did Yuan Weiyuan signal Lou Junchi to place the call.
The connection was picked up almost instantly. From the background, it wasn't the conference room anymore—it looked more like a hospital.
There were many people on screen, most of them unfamiliar, but some faces looked vaguely familiar from the Central Bureau.
Feng Jinwen rushed into frame, his face full of anxiety. He leaned in so close it looked like he might climb out of the screen.
"Miss Song, what kind of punishment did the underworld issue to my father—to the director and the rest of the committee? Is their lives in danger?
And why have all the ghosts disappeared from the cemeteries?"
Song Miaozhu noticed a strand of white hair on his head. He looked even more haggard than in their last video call. It seemed the loss of ten years of lifespan had taken a serious toll.
She sighed. "I warned you before. The secrets of the underworld are not ours to meddle with. Disturbing the balance between yin and yang is a grave offense down there."
"Too late for regrets."
Feng Jinwen's expression darkened. "All nine members of the SEIU committee are in critical care. Many key members are experiencing severe physical decline. All ghost members have lost contact. Do you grasp the severity?"
He slammed a hand on the desk. "Answer me—will they survive? Where did the ghosts from the cemeteries go?"