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墨書 Inktalez
Seeing that someone had an accident, everyone rushed over to the actor. The director was momentarily stunned; as he watched everyone run away, he didn’t follow them but instead stared blankly at the screen. He had never encountered such an inexplicable situation before.
Like the director, Xiaolin did not go over. He had come to work as a mover, and since he had nothing to do while Lens was filming, he followed the director around to lend a hand and build rapport. With the director not moving, he stayed put as well. When he noticed the director lost in thought, he leaned over and said, “Director, those inexplicable things appearing in Lens are ghosts. I suggested taking precautions back then, but you didn’t listen. Now we have a real problem.”
The director turned his head in confusion and asked, “How do you know that?”
Xiaolin chuckled and replied, “I used to study Cultivation, but I gave up when I realized I couldn’t do it. Still, I understand a thing or two about these matters.”
Just as the director was about to respond, someone shouted loudly from the other side, “Xiaolin, Xiaolin! Come help us lift him into the car!”
Hearing the shout, the director didn’t continue questioning Xiaolin and said, “Let’s go take a look.”
They ran over to the actor and found him foaming at the mouth, his face pale as death, convulsing as if he had suffered a stroke.
Everyone hurriedly lifted him into the car, no longer caring about filming, and rushed him to the nearest hospital.
Upon arriving at the hospital and just as they were about to take him into a ward, unexpectedly, the actor suddenly recovered. Aside from looking a bit pale, he seemed perfectly fine. Everyone asked what had happened, and he simply laughed and said, “I’m fine! Is there still time to finish shooting that Lens?” Concerned, they still called for a doctor to conduct an examination. Ultimately, the doctor concluded that everything was normal.
Seeing that the doctor said there was nothing wrong, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The director said, “We’ll reshoot this Lens later; everyone should go rest for now.” Thus, they all got back in the car. On the way back, everyone asked the actor if he had suffered a stroke or had any other health issues. The actor denied it all and even asked the director when they would reshoot the scene involving burning Joss Paper. This actor was also a minor character; his surname was Li. He originally planned to finish this Lens and go home.
Having seen ghosts through Recording, the director naturally wouldn’t continue filming Lens; with such bizarre occurrences still unexplained, how could they dare shoot such scenes again?
Arriving at the hotel entrance, the director kept Xiaolin and another cameraman behind. The three of them had witnessed the ghostly Lens and were all puzzled. Of course, Xiaolin knew this was a Ghostly Affair.
Once inside the director's room, they sat on the sofa and began discussing what had happened. The director spoke first: “Xiaolin, you say this is a Ghostly Affair; is it manageable?”
Hearing this from the director, Camera murmured in agreement: “It really is a Ghostly Affair.”
Xiaolin replied, “Brother, aside from this explanation, do you have any other theories? I’m one hundred percent sure this has stirred up some ghosts. Fortunately, no one got hurt; that’s a silver lining.”
The director nodded and said, “So will we be in danger? I’ve heard those things like to cling to people.” As he spoke, he cautiously glanced around the room.
“It should be fine…” Before Xiaolin could finish his sentence, there was a sharp sound of something breaking in the room.
Just when they were discussing whether they might be haunted by ghosts, such a noise startled all three of them off their seats as they anxiously looked around for its source. Finally, they spotted a shattered glass on the floor on the other side of the bed.
The glass was originally on the plate atop the Counter, and for no apparent reason, it fell to the ground. This alone was strange, but the floor was carpeted, so it shouldn't have made such a loud noise. It was truly bizarre.
Before anyone could make sense of it, there was more movement at the Counter. This time, they saw it clearly: another glass on the plate began to move by itself. It slid off the plate onto the Counter and then slowly edged toward the edge.
The three of them held their breath, staring intently at the moving glass, afraid to make any sudden movements. This was too strange; if someone were there, they could explain it away as a magic trick, but there was no one around.
The glass scraped against the lacquered surface of the Counter, producing an uneven, low grinding sound as it moved slowly and shakily toward the edge. As it got closer to the brink, their hearts raced with anxiety.
When the glass reached the edge, it stopped moving suddenly and fell silent. The three of them exhaled in relief; it felt like a psychological ordeal. Like most people, they were about eighty percent convinced by Xiaolin's claim that there was a ghost, but since they hadn't seen anything with their own eyes, they remained skeptical. However, witnessing the glass move had sent them into a panic. If it shattered right in front of them for no reason, belief would no longer be optional. At that moment, whether they believed or not didn't matter; what mattered was that something supernatural had followed them into this room—a notion they couldn't accept. They knew deep down that the glass moving without cause was abnormal, yet they still hoped it wouldn't break. They seemed to think that as long as the glass didn't shatter, everything would be fine. It was merely a psychological comfort.
In extreme fear or despair, people often seek something to cling to; at that moment, praying for the glass not to break became their lifeline.
When the glass finally stopped moving, they exchanged glances, unsure of what to do next. The director swallowed hard and whispered, "Should we call the police?"
No sooner had he spoken than the glass that had been resting at the edge of the Counter suddenly shot across toward the wall of the restroom with a loud crash. The glass shattered into countless pieces on the carpet with several muffled thuds.
What should have been an ordinary sound of breaking glass now echoed like a roar from hell in their ears. The director, who had suggested calling for help, turned pale with fear; he trembled all over and stammered incoherently as if he believed that this ghost was now haunting him. The Camera operator fared slightly better; though tense and silent, he wasn't as exaggeratedly frightened.
The calmest among them was Xiaolin. Having some exposure to Taoism and a basic understanding of ghosts and spirits, he remained rational despite being startled. He quickly grabbed the phone from the nightstand and called the front desk to request two security guards come up to investigate.
After hanging up, an eerie silence enveloped the room; no one wanted to speak. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Xiaolin opened it to find two security guards standing outside. Upon seeing someone open the door, they began asking what had happened.
Seeing someone arrive and realizing he could escape, the director quickly stood up and dashed out of the room. Xiaolin hurried after him, leaving Camera behind to explain everything to the guards.
However, given such an extraordinary occurrence, no matter how eloquently one spoke about it, no one would believe them—not even the guards—who accused Camera of rambling nonsense that tarnished their hotel's reputation. When Camera realized he couldn't get through to them, he decided not to waste any more words and went off in search of the director.
Meanwhile, once outside their room, the director and Xiaolin took an elevator down to the lobby where they finally stopped in a brightly lit area that felt safe enough for them not to leave immediately. They sat down on a sofa in the waiting area.
Though frightened earlier, the director wasn't inexperienced; he still had his judgment intact. Trembling slightly, he asked Xiaolin, "Did I anger that ghost? Will it follow me forever?"
Xiaolin replied thoughtfully, "I don't know; it's best to call in a master to take a look and exorcise any evil spirits—it's safer."
Hearing this suggestion felt like grasping a lifeline for the director as he eagerly responded, "Yes! Yes! Find a master! You said you studied Taoism—do you know anyone who can help me?"
Xiaolin said, "I have a senior brother who is an expert in handling these matters. He happens to be in Guangzhou. I'll arrange for him to come and take a look tomorrow."
Hearing this, the director gradually relaxed. Even so, they did not return to their rooms to sleep; instead, the three of them chatted aimlessly until dawn.
...
After Xiaolin carefully explained the situation, he chuckled and said, "Last night, the director had a good impression of me. He said he would help me more in the future if he could. I got a bit carried away and boasted that you are my best friend, so asking for your help wouldn't require any compensation. But I understand the rules; I still prepared a small gift for you. It's not much, just a token of appreciation. I've been tight on cash lately, but I'll make it up to you when I'm more financially stable."
I didn't refuse; it wouldn't be polite to do so. In our line of work, we believe in karma. Helping someone without accepting payment is considered meddling and can lead to bad consequences. Accepting payment makes it my responsibility, and that way, I won't face any karma.
I stuffed the red envelope into my pocket and smiled as I said, "Alright then, no need to be so formal. Your matters are my matters too. Just remember me when you become famous." He chuckled and replied, "Of course!"
His laughter was forced, and we both understood his situation; it would be difficult for him to achieve fame. Each of us harbored some unrealistic dreams that brought us joy during our flights of fancy, but when faced with reality and reason, those dreams became hard to confront.
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