The scene was utter chaos.
On one side was Mr. Hu, lying in the coffin, muttering, "I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming." On the other side was Hu Tu, who had collapsed beside the coffin, completely unconscious. As for Mrs. Hu, looking at her husband who had come back to life, and then at her unconscious son, she didn't know who to look after first.
The scene was more than just chaotic.
Finally, after everyone's explanation, Mr. Hu, who still thought he was dreaming, finally accepted the fact that he was buried in the grave. He clapped his hands and said, "I knew it! Why hasn't it gotten light today? I haven't heard Old Liu's rooster crowing next door. So that's because I'm buried!"
The others: That's true, but why does it sound so ridiculous coming from you?
Mr. Hu continued, "I woke up in the middle of the night yesterday, thinking I was in a big box. I thought someone was playing a prank on me, so I called Hu Tu and the others to come rescue me. Hu Tu slammed the phone down on me, which made me so angry I almost fainted!"
A firefighter nearby hesitated, perhaps wanting to say something but holding back: "Maybe you didn't faint from anger, but rather from the lack of oxygen in the coffin and the emotional stress?"
Hu Tu, who had just regained consciousness, said with some grievance, "How can you blame me? Do you know how terrifying that situation was? Receiving a call from someone who's already dead in the middle of the night, I thought I was possessed."
Who could have imagined that someone buried in the grave was still alive and could even call him? He couldn't sleep the rest of the night.
"If I hadn't consulted a fortune teller, I would have really thought I was possessed by a ghost!" Hu Tu added. "But after I knew you might not be dead, I called Mom to ask someone to dig up the grave, but Mom didn't believe me."
Not only did she not believe him, but she also stopped the firefighters he had called to help, along with the villagers.
Hu's mother chuckled dryly and said, "I thought I was being scammed. The country tells us every day to be careful of scams, right? Your dad's already buried in the grave, how was I supposed to know he was still alive?"
The villagers, who meant well but did more harm than good, couldn't help but nod: ...They were the same, how could they know that something like the dead coming back to life could actually happen? Seeing someone digging up the grave, they naturally had to stop them.
"Fortunately, he was alright in the end," the police officer smoothed things over.
However, just to be on the safe side, everyone hurriedly took Hu's father to the hospital for a checkup. After all, he had not only been knocked unconscious before, but he had also been in the coffin for so long, and no one could guarantee that there wouldn't be any problems.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, it was already getting dark. Large swaths of red clouds on the horizon resembled wildfires, a dazzling and beautiful sight.
Xu Gui disliked the smell of hospitals, not just the disinfectant, but also the pervasive sense of misfortune and sorrow in the air.
She walked to the hospital window for some fresh air, tilting her head slightly, closing her eyes briefly, her brows furrowed as if she were enduring something.
Her nose was delicate, her lips full, and the setting sun cast a soft glow on her face, like a halo around her smooth features. With her eyes closed, light seemed to dance on her thick, curled eyelashes.
Standing there, she resembled a beautiful, richly colored oil painting framed within a canvas, exceptionally vivid and lifelike.
[Click!]
The sound of a camera shutter rang out, startling not only Xu Gui but also the viewers in the live stream.
Xu Gui opened her eyes and turned to look, her gaze meeting that of a girl holding a phone, looking embarrassed.
"I... I just thought that scene was so beautiful," the girl said shyly, then explained, "I'm an art student, and the composition and atmosphere of that scene were just amazing, I couldn't resist."
She held her phone tightly, "If you mind, I'll delete it?" She deleted it, but her tone was full of reluctance.
Xu Gui walked over, "Can I see that photo?"
The girl nodded, opened her photo album to show Xu Gui the photo, and said, "Really, that scene was just so beautiful, so I couldn't resist, I'm sorry... I won't do it again next time." As she
spoke, the girl couldn't help but clench her fist, feeling a little embarrassed.
After looking at the photo, Xu Gui said, "You took a really good picture."
Hearing this, the girl's eyes lit up. A little embarrassed and excited, she asked, "Really? Really?"
"Yes, it's very good, and you made me look so pretty," Xu Gui nodded, cupping her face and beaming. "I look like I'm glowing in this photo! You're amazing!"
Although she didn't know much about photography or composition, she had a good eye for aesthetics. This photo just looked beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
Xu Gui thought to herself, feeling pleased: I look so good in this photo! I'm practically the most handsome turtle.
The girl was flattered by the compliment. She asked cautiously, "Can I keep this photo? I really want to keep it..." She looked at Xu Gui expectantly.
Xu Gui readily agreed, saying, "Sure, but I have one request!"
Her expression was somewhat serious, startling the girl, who nervously asked, "What request?"
Xu Gui smiled and said, "It's this photo. Can you send it to me? You took such a beautiful picture; I want to keep one as a souvenir."
Hearing this, the girl's face lit up. She quickly opened her phone, exchanged contact information with Xu Gui, and sent her the photo.
The photographer cleverly placed the lens against Xu Gui's phone screen, instantly revealing the photo to everyone in the live stream who had been eagerly anticipating it. The live stream immediately filled with exclamations:
[Wow, this girl is amazing! The composition of this photo is perfect! If she didn't go to school, she could make a living by taking photos!]
[!! I want this photo too! Can you post it online so I can download it?] I want to use this as my screensaver, this photo is so beautiful! This girl is definitely an art student!
[Look at what others took, and then look at mine. They're all like figures sculpted by Nuwa (the goddess who created humans), so why are other people's photos so much better?]
[No wonder people say other people's photos are Nuwa's graduation project, while yours are just mud splatters Nuwa threw out. There's some truth to that.]
[Personal attacks ahead, reported!]
...
Netizens have sharp eyes; they can see that the girl's photo already has the potential to be a "divine image."
What is a divine image? It's a photo that can go viral, a photo that resonates with everyone, regardless of whether they're a fan or not. Previously, an ordinary person went viral with a "divine image," becoming incredibly popular online.
Later, this person entered the entertainment industry, became a star, and their career flourished, their fame soaring.
Oh, Xu Gui recognizes this person too; she's Tang Xu, one of the hottest young actresses right now. Because of this "divine photo," Tang Xu has become the object of affection for countless people, even those who aren't her fans have developed a fondness for her because of it.
That's the power of a "divine photo."
And the photo this girl took already has the makings of a "divine photo." If it were posted online, it would definitely cause a small sensation.
However, despite taking such a photo, the girl seemed insecure. Judging from her clothes and phone, her family shouldn't be struggling financially, yet she exuded a shy and insecure aura. Itwas strange.
Looking at the photo sent to her phone, Xu Gui naturally set it as her screensaver—many people might find it narcissistic to use their own photo as a screensaver, and feel a little embarrassed, but Xu Gui didn't think so. She was so beautiful, of course she wanted to look at herself every day! She thought happily. "...Do you like drawing?" she casually asked the girl. The girl nodded vigorously, then her expression turned somewhat dejected. She said, "But my parents don't like me drawing. They say drawing has no future, and that I should focus more on my studies at this age... Anyway, they get very excited every time they see me drawing, so I can only draw secretly, otherwise my mom will tear up my sketchbook again." Xu Gui was taken aback and asked, "How old are you?" The girl sniffed and obediently replied, "I'm sixteen years old this year, and I'm in my first year of high school." First year of high school... Xu Gui looked at her thin figure and was a little surprised—she had thought the girl was a middle school student.
Perhaps it was Xu Gui's praise that made the girl happy, because she couldn't help but share her drawings with Xu Gui on her phone. "This, this is what I drew last year, and this one is what I drew this year... I didn't draw as well last year as I did this year, but I didn't draw much this year..." The girl muttered to herself, her face practically glowing as she talked about her drawings. "Lingling? Zhao Lingling!" Suddenly, a hurried voice rang out, and a figure rushed over. A middle-aged woman who looked somewhat like the girl looked at her sternly and said, "Zhao Lingling, why are you still here? Didn't I tell you to go back?
Don't forget, you still have homework to do, not only from school, but also from your tutor... Your grades have dropped so much, how can you not work hard?" The woman rattled off a sentence, and then continued, "After you finish your homework, you still have to practice the piano... I'm telling you, after you finish practicing the piano, go to sleep.
Don't even think about secretly drawing those pictures behind my back, understand?" The girl, Zhao Lingling, trembled slightly. She nodded and whispered, "I understand." After dealing with her daughter, the middle-aged woman finally turned her attention to Xu Gui. She glanced at Xu Gui sideways and said rather rudely, "I don't know how you know our Lingling, but Lingling is in the most important stage of high school right now, and she really doesn't have time to associate with you. I hope you won't disturb her studies!" "Mom, what are you saying? I just met this sister." Zhao Lingling was almost crying.
Xu Gui thought to herself that it was fortunate she was a girl; if she were a boy, the middle-aged woman's tone would probably have been even harsher. Xu Gui was amused by her own thoughts.
Looking at Zhao Lingling, who was about to cry because her mother had been so harsh on her, she didn't bother arguing with the middle-aged woman, but simply nodded indifferently. "It's getting late, shouldn't we go back?" she asked, turning to the paparazzi. The paparazzi nodded, "Yes, we should go back." It would be a three-hour drive back, and by the time they got back to City A, it would be dark. The two ignored the mother and daughter.
Although Zhao Lingling was cute and had a likable personality, her mother seemed difficult to deal with, so it was best to avoid contact. Watching the two leave, Zhao Lingling was truly on the verge of tears, which streamed down her face. Seeing her like this, Zhao's mother said sternly, "Why are you crying? I did all this for your own good. Who are they? Don't think I didn't see them.
They were carrying a camera; they're definitely people who film shady things online… If you associate with them, they'll corrupt you…" Their voices came from behind them, neither too close nor too far. Xu Gui took two steps, then stopped. She turned her head, cleared her throat, and said, "Madam, I think I still need to explain to you. We're not filming anything inappropriate. You might not know, but I'm a celebrity, and we're filming a TV show!" "Do you know '360 Trades'? You can find it online; it's the hottest show right now." "Oh, right, and one more thing," Xu Gui smiled at her, "Being a celebrity is mainly my side job.
My main profession is fortune telling. If you ever feel lost, you can come find me.
My fortune-telling address is under the overpass in XX City A. I'll give you a 9.9% discount." Zhao's mother wasn't stupid; she immediately sensed the provocation and hostility in Xu Gui's words, and her expression darkened. After Xu Gui and the others left,
she immediately turned to her daughter and scolded, "Look at the kind of friends you've made all day! They don't know any manners at all... You've become bad because you always hang out with people like this, that's why your grades are getting worse and worse!" Zhao Lingling cried, "They didn't want to be friends with me, I just met them..." She hadn't even had a chance to befriend them. Xu Gui and the others had already gone far away, and the conversation between the Zhao mother and daughter no longer reached their ears. She and the person following her went to find two police officers, and after telling Hu Tu and his mother, they prepared to return to City A. "Oh dear, how could we accept this!" Hu's mother said, "I was planning to treat you to a meal, why don't you stay here tonight and have a meal tomorrow before you leave?" The two police officers naturally refused, saving Xu Gui and the others the trouble of declining. By the time they returned, it was already late, so Xu Gui turned off the live stream.
The car was dimly lit. She sat in the back seat, dozing off as the car moved, until she was jolted awake by a shout from the paparazzi. "Teacher Xu, you're trending!" the paparazzi exclaimed. Xu Gui was startled awake, fully waking up. She yawned and said nonchalantly, "What's trending? Is it because of Mr. Hu's family?" The Hu family's situation was indeed strange—people buried in graves were still alive; who would have thought? If it was trending, it wouldn't be surprising.
However, to Xu Gui's surprise, the paparazzi denied it, saying, "It's not about the Hu family; it's about fishing." A question mark slowly appeared on Xu Gui's forehead. The person filming her held up their phone screen and said, "Remember that old fisherman from this morning? According to your calculations, he caught a suitcase at that spot, and inside the suitcase was a corpse..." Xu Gui was surprised: "So it was a corpse? Didn't the old man win his bet?" The person filming her thought:
...Ms. Xu, isn't your focus a bit off? Is the question about winning or losing the bet right now? The person filming her said wearily, "The problem now is that the old man mentioned you when the police questioned him. You might have to go to the Criminal Investigation Department to cooperate with the police investigation when you return to City A.
" Xu Gui didn't care. She was upright and honest; cooperating with the investigation was all she needed to do. She would cooperate fully.
"Teacher Xu, are you still having bad luck lately?" the paparazzi said. "Look, you've been to the police station three times in two days now, almost three times in total."
Oh, no, if you add the Li An family matter, that's four times.
The paparazzi suggested, "Why don't you go to a temple to pray?"
Xu Gui replied, "This isn't bad luck, it's actually very good luck. Look at everything I do, isn't it all good deeds? This is accumulating good karma, it's clearly a good thing."
The paparazzi: Is that even possible?
The paparazzi couldn't help but think about it.
As for Xu Gui, she glanced at the trending topics, then closed her eyes uninterested, and soon fell asleep again.
She slept soundly the whole way, completely unconscious. When they got back to their hotel, she didn't even know how she got back to her room; she just collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
Anyway, when she woke up the next day, she found herself in the hotel bed, still wearing the clothes from the previous day.
Xu Gui glanced at the time and noticed that her phone had received over a dozen calls from someone claiming to be her "agent." However, because Xu Gui was asleep and preferred to keep her phone on silent, she hadn't answered any of them.
Now that she saw the call, she glanced at it but didn't intend to call back.
She simply plugged her nearly dead phone into the charger and went to the bathroom to shower. She filled the bathtub and soaked in it—she could tell the tub was very clean; otherwise, she wouldn't have taken a bath there. Apparently, the rooms they were supposed to stay in before filming the show had been thoroughly disinfected.
Ever since a celebrity had a hygiene issue on a variety show, Hunan TV had been very strict about hygiene.
After her bath, she sat on the edge of the bed and gave herself a thorough skincare routine, applying a fragrant children's cream with a sweet orange scent.
After applying it, Xu Gui felt as if she had transformed into a peeled orange, smelling wonderful.
She brought her hand to her nose and smelled it, thinking it smelled delicious… Hmm, she was a little hungry and wanted to eat an orange.
To avoid biting herself, she decided to get up and have breakfast first. She woke up early today; after taking a bath and doing her skincare routine, it was only a little past eight. She hurried downstairs and headed straight for the hotel's kitchen.
Non-staff members weren't allowed in the hotel kitchen, so Xu Gui didn't go in. Instead, she stood at a distance, peeking inside.
The old woman who had just come out saw her like this, and her lips twitched involuntarily.
Xu Gui was happy to see her and waved, "Auntie!"
The auntie came over, and Xu Gui looked at her expectantly, saying, "Auntie, I'm hungry. Is there any breakfast today?"
The auntie glanced at her, tossed out a "Wait a minute," and turned to go into the kitchen. A moment later, she came out with breakfast: a bowl of thin-skinned, meat-filled wontons, with a few pieces of corn and meat mixed in.
Xu Gui looked at her with bright eyes, showering her with compliments, her voice sticky and sweet, almost like a sticky rice cake.
The auntie thought she had gotten used to Xu Gui's clinginess, and her heart had long since hardened. However, the reality was... she also brought Xu Gui a plate of fruit, as dessert.
While Xu Gui was eating breakfast, the old woman sat opposite her and casually asked, "Why didn't you come for dinner last night?"
Xu Gui replied, "I went to City B yesterday. I was so tired when I got back that I fell asleep without even taking a shower. I didn't eat dinner at all, so I'm so hungry this morning... Auntie, did you make these wontons? They're so delicious! This corn and pork wonton is so tender and sweet!"
The old woman said expressionlessly, "If you like them, eat more. I'll cook more if you're not full."
"Auntie, you're the best to me. I like you so much!" Xu Gui happily finished a bowl of wontons and ate some fruit, filling herself up completely.
The older woman, who had also watched her livestream, couldn't help but ask, "The elimination rounds are already down to the second-to-last day. Are you confident you can make it into the top thirty?"
Xu Gui replied with the same answer: "I can feel it. My luck has been really good lately. I think I can definitely make it into the top thirty... Don't worry, luck is on my side!"
Hearing this, the older woman nodded, seemingly believing her, though whether she truly believed her was unknown.
*
After finishing breakfast, Xu Gui prepared to go back to her room to change. On the way, she noticed her "manager" was calling again. She glanced at her phone and answered.
"...I called you so many times yesterday, why didn't you answer? Do you even consider me your manager anymore?!" The first thing the other person said was accusatory, their tone extremely rude.
Xu Gui pouted unhappily, pressed the hang-up button, and immediately hung up.
Two seconds later, the phone screen lit up again, the words "Agent" prominently displayed. This time, Xu Gui didn't refuse and answered again. However, upon hearing the same rude voice on the other end, she hung up once more.
—It's not polite to kick someone out when they're in front of you, but when they're on the phone, can't she just hang up?
This happened twice. The third time she answered, the person on the other end finally fell silent.
"Hoo!" She heard the other person take a few deep breaths, and after several seconds of silence, they finally spoke.
"Xu Gui, do you remember I'm your agent?" the agent said, trying to sound calm, but unable to hide the gritted teeth in their voice.
Xu Gui replied, "Of course I know you're my agent, otherwise I wouldn't answer a stranger's call! I'm very good at preventing scams." But she couldn't stop this "scammer."
The agent
was speechless. Xu Gui asked, "What do you want to call me about?"
Only then did the agent remember the important matter and said, "Why didn't you do what I asked you to do last time?"
Xu Gui replied, "What was it last time? I don't remember."
"Don't try to fool me!" the manager said in a low voice. "Do you know how angry Qiu Nai and the others are? Tang Xu is the eldest daughter of the Tang family. If you offend them, do you still want to survive in the entertainment industry?"
Xu Gui, however, said sincerely, "Actually, I think setting up a fortune-telling stall is pretty good. And I've discovered that I can also tell fortunes online. Then I can tell fortunes both at the stall and online, earning money from both sources in one day!"
She was very confident: "I've already thought it through. At this rate, I'll earn 800,000 yuan very soon!"
The manager: "...Do you think I'm here to hear your get-rich-quick scheme?"
He seemed to have a headache and said earnestly, "Xu Gui, as long as you listen to me, are you afraid of not making money? As long as you do as I say, I can guarantee you that you'll be making money even while sitting down!"
"Just listen to me and cooperate with Qiu Nai and Tang Xu. I'm your manager. Would I harm you?"
Xu Gui listened to his words and said casually, "I don't know if you'll harm me, but I do know you don't have any good intentions towards me."
The manager gritted his teeth, "Xu Gui, let me tell you, don't push your luck. If you piss me off, I guarantee you won't be able to survive in the entertainment industry. You'll become a rat that everyone hates. Do you believe me?"
"Of course I believe you can do it," Xu Gui said, then added, "But do you believe I can make you a rat first?"
She kindly reminded him, "Haven't you watched my recent live stream? I think if you had, you wouldn't have this thought anymore. Is it possible that I'm not the ant you imagine I can just squeeze at will, and you're not someone who can take whatever you want from me?"
The manager couldn't help but scoff at this, and said calmly, "Xu Gui, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about yourself? You're an orphan who grew up in an orphanage. Do you think I don't know how capable you are?"
"Fortune telling? Pshaw, if you could really tell fortunes, why did you sign with our company and end up in my hands?"
he scoffed. "Since you can tell fortunes, have you ever told your own? Since you're an artist under my management, that's fate making you accept your destiny."
Xu Gui: ...I'm listening to your nonsense.
As the saying goes, it's better to say nothing when you don't see eye to eye.
She glanced at her phone, chose to hang up immediately, and promptly blacklisted this guy called "Agent," preventing him from receiving her calls.
Meanwhile, in an office at Xinghai Entertainment, listening to the busy tone on his phone, the man, who had previously appeared calm and confident, now couldn't maintain his composure.
"Xu Gui!!!"
A furious voice came from the office.
On the other side, Xu Gui was contemplating how to change her agent.
Yes, she wanted to change agents, but this matter required careful consideration. After all, she was currently participating in a program and couldn't contact anyone else in the company, so this matter had to be postponed for now.
However, because she was filming a show and working, her agent couldn't do anything to her or use the contract to control her, so she had plenty of time to change agents.
Xu Gui murmured, "Take it slow..."
Now, she needed to prepare for today's filming. However, Xu Gui hadn't expected that when she arrived at her stall, she would find a large crowd gathered around it.
Xu Gui: ?
The old man who arrived earlier than her every day saw her and casually gave her a box of pastries, saying, "You're really something! See, all these people are here to see you."
Xu Gui: ? ?
Looking for her?! She's famous?