209: Collective suicide

The others quickly gathered around.

Xie Yunxuan stepped forward and saw a perfectly intact copy of “Red Clothes” lying in the drawer.

His mind froze for a moment.

Chen Fang's was still in the drawer? Then the one in his hand…

“Ah!” Xie Yunxuan’s hand trembled, and he threw the book out.

But the wet book landed precisely on his bed with a thud.

Xie Yunxuan quickly went over and vigorously shook the quilt, making the book fall onto the floor.

He froze for two seconds, his gaze falling on the others in the room, slowly coming back to his senses. He suddenly looked at Chen Fang, “No, it was you, you bought two copies!”

“Hahaha!” Chen Fang couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The others, who were either already holding back laughter or had been startled, now realized and tried their best to suppress their laughter.

“I…” Xie Yunxuan clenched his fists, wanting to hit him but knowing he couldn't win.

What to do? It would be too embarrassing to suggest dropping it himself.

“Case closed, can we eat now?” Zhao Jin’s voice broke the silent standoff and suppressed laughter.

Xie Yunxuan instantly felt a great burden lifted, snorted, “Everyone, eating and filming are more important. I, as the elder, won’t stoop to a junior’s level. Let’s go.”

Seeing everyone walk out, Xie Yunxuan slowed his pace, quietly walked to the middle of the two beds, picked up the wet “Red Clothes,” lifted Chen Fang’s quilt, and threw the book inside.

Everyone sat around the coffee table.

On the coffee table were late-night snacks like steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli, salt and pepper mantis shrimp, grilled eggplant, and grilled enoki mushrooms.

Everyone had been tired for two weeks and had lost a few pounds, so they decided not to control themselves and just eat.

After eating for a while, at Director Liu Yang’s winking hint, everyone finally slowed down their eating speed and started talking, chatting about the jokes from the past two weeks, and then discussing their plans for the future.

Shen Wantang bit into a piece of squid and asked, “What time are you all leaving tomorrow?”

Chen Fang replied, “Noon or afternoon, I guess? Sleep until we naturally wake up.”

Yue Qingzhu, wearing gloves, peeled three crawfish, ate one herself, gave one to Zhao Jin on her left, and another to Chen Fang on her right.

Liang Yan grinned, “Sister Qingzhu, I want one too.”

Chen Fang grabbed a shrimp and threw it into his bowl, “You want me to peel a shrimp for you too? How touching, come on, peel it quickly.”

Liang Yan’s mouth slightly opened, “Brother Chen, why are you getting more and more shameless?”

Yue Qingzhu raised her hand to cover her mouth, her eyes full of amusement.

Behind the monitor, Director Liu Yang craned his neck, staring at the screen and blinking.

Why did it feel a bit off?

Chen Fang and Yue Qingzhu’s gazes seemed wrong. He would have to pay attention to it during editing. Otherwise, Liu Lu and Tang Chen would come to chase him down.

Everyone continued chatting, and soon they agreed to have a farewell meal together at noon tomorrow before going their separate ways.

Chen Fang recalled the director’s instructions about a happy ending and looked at Xie Yunxuan, who was engrossed in eating, “Teacher Xie, don’t be angry. Everyone is doing it for the show. Aside from the routine cleaning, didn’t you also trick Jiang Jie into hitting me, and call me Brother Frog?”

Xie Yunxuan sneered, “Judge by actions, not intentions. I haven’t done a single thing to wrong you; I’ve done you a great favor.”

Chen Fang nodded.

Indeed, the top supporter.

He had accumulated over 400,000 negative emotion points from Xie Yunxuan alone. Nearly 300,000 of those were gained in the past half-month, averaging 20,000 per day, excluding rest days.

And he also desperately helped him promote “ghost blows out the light.”

He truly lived up to the title of a money-making machine.

“Indeed, when I have the chance, I’ll write a song for you.”

“You…” Xie Yunxuan was about to retort when his mind suddenly registered what he said. What? Write a song for me?

Songs like “one meat and one vegetable,” “Can’t Learn,” “flammable and explosive,” “the brightest star in the night sky”?

No, would Chen Dog be that kind?

It's probably some kind of parody music, right?

Xie Yunxuan snorted, “Hmph, who cares?”

Liang Yan nudged him, “You useless thing, can’t you even be a good friend?” With that, he flashed a standard eight-tooth smile at Chen Fang, “Brother, torment me, don’t pity me!”

Yue Qingzhu bit into a piece of squid and said faintly, “The money in your pocket looks a bit like Chen Fang’s.”

Liang Yan paused, and his mind instantly recalled the time when the rogue Chen Fang had turned the tables on him, his smile freezing on his face.

Oh my goodness, does it take half a month of this kind of life experience to get one song?

This enduring hardship seems really hard to endure.

...

Outside the villa, night deepened.

In the living room, everyone was full and satisfied, and the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

No one knew who started it, or perhaps it was the impending separation, but everyone had a change of heart and began to reflect on their actions.

Shen Wantang patted Bai Wenbin’s shoulder, “I’m sorry, Xiao Bai, it was I who made you clean the public restroom last Wednesday.”

“You?” Bai Wenbin’s eyes widened, and he slowly looked at Xie Yunxuan, “It wasn’t you?”

Xie Yunxuan slapped the table, “I told you it wasn’t me! Bai Wenbin! This week you not only made sarcastic remarks but also tried to torment me to death!”

Just as he finished speaking, the director’s cough came from beside him.

Xie Yunxuan nodded with a fake smile, “It’s okay, it’s all just a game.”

Bai Wenbin immediately moved behind Xie Yunxuan, “I’m sorry, Little Xie, I apologize to you. I shouldn’t have distrusted you.”

Xie Yunxuan said with a fake smile, “It’s nothing. I also played tricks on others. Let’s let bygones be bygones. Come, cheers!”

Shen Wantang sneered, “So who exactly made me clean the kitchen sink for a week! Was it you, Chen Fang?!”

Chen Fang shook his head.

Xie Yunxuan slowly raised his hand.

Shen Wantang blinked, stunned. Ah? She had retaliated against the wrong person.

Chen Fang wanted to retort, no wonder Shen Wantang had tricked him several times this week. But mindful of the director’s “harmony brings wealth” instruction, he could only show a relieved smile.

How to put it?

He felt very much like the domineering CEO he imagined himself to be when he was little.

Angered by a friend, he coldly looked up at the clock nearby, and after seeing “Harmony brings prosperity to the family” and a landscape painting on the digital clock, he calmed his anger.

In the living room, everyone’s faces were full of smiles, but their hearts were filled with growing resentment.

...

The villa gradually quieted down.

Chen Fang returned to his room, lifted the quilt, calmly took out “Red Clothes” and threw it into the trash can, then went to find a staff member next door to get a new quilt to lay out, and prepared to wash up.

Xie Yunxuan had just come out of the bathroom when he unexpectedly saw the book thrown into the trash can in front of his bed, and couldn’t help but swallow.

“Why did you throw it here?”

“It’s a trash can.”

“Throw it outside.”

“I’m helping you overcome your fear. It’s just a book. If there were ghosts, how could bad people live so freely?” Chen Fang said, then turned and entered the bathroom.

“Chen Fang! Stop being so wicked, and stop disdaining timid people like us! Have you heard an old saying? One day, you will become the person you hate, the person you disdain.”

“Thank you for your kind words. I hate rich people.”

“...” Xie Yunxuan suddenly felt like he was punching cotton, powerless and helpless. He stood silently for two seconds, then knocked on the bathroom door, “Remember to write a song for me.”

“Hmm, I’ll try for this year.”

“Have some conscience, don’t write me a parody.”

“Okay, hurry up and throw out the trash.”

Xie Yunxuan sighed, took off his contact lenses, squinted his eyes to make his vision blurrier, pursed his lips, walked to the trash can, and tied the trash bag.

He tore off a piece of paper, wrote “Contains a ghost story novel soaked in water, don’t open if you’re timid” on it, taped it to the trash bag, and then went out to throw the trash bag into the trash can in the yard.