For the following week, Ye Feng did not accept any ghost-catching commissions and helped Lu Yingjiu set up the office.
In this era, "exorcism" is no longer a secret. Quite a few people know about the existence of exorcists, but only a few have actually come into contact with one. The probability of encountering a ghost is so low that it basically only exists in the stories of the neighbors.
Very few paranormal agencies would open their doors openly—not because it's impossible, but because it's inconvenient.
People's mindsets are slow to change for something so obscure and mysterious, and most people don't want to have it near their homes.
Because we don't understand, we are afraid. It's human nature.
So the firm needs a cover.
Some are disguised as convenience stores, some are disguised as bookstores, there are all kinds of weird and wonderful things - the agency's customer base is unstable. Lu Yingjiu has a friend who found that fake convenience stores can make more money than catching ghosts, so he simply changed his career.
A sign was hung outside: Lu Ying Bar
The design is of a cow cat with its head sticking out of a beer glass.
The layout of the house was quite simple, with a bar, a wine cabinet, tables and chairs, and decorations. On the door of the inner room was a talisman paper, and inside were various tools and notes for exorcising ghosts.
Ye Feng said: "How did you come up with the idea of opening a bar?"
"Actually, I don't want to. I have no interest in alcohol at all." Lu Yingjiu said, "But I want to make a joke. Don't you think the name 'Lu Ying Bar' is great?"
Ye Feng: “…”
Ye Feng added: "You don't even have a bottle of wine, let alone a bartender. What if a customer really comes?"
"There won't be any customers." Lu Yingjiu said nonchalantly, "Look at this shabby place. There's no traffic, no publicity, and the interior is shabby as hell. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you come to this shabby store? I wouldn't. It's more like a place to launder money."
Ye Feng: "... We have to disguise ourselves a bit." He stood up, "Let's go buy a few bottles and put them on the shelf to make up the numbers. Besides, I want to drink it too."
Ye Feng was driving and Lu Yingjiu was sitting in the passenger seat.
Ye Feng drove slowly, and Lu Yingjiu also took a leisurely nap.
The temperature is high in the summer, and the air conditioner in the car is blowing loudly to barely suppress the heat. When my hand touches the glass, I can still feel the heat outside.
While waiting for the red light, Lu Yingjiu subconsciously rubbed the longevity lock pendant.
It was still as cold as ever, with majestic mountains and seas above it. Lu Yingjiu stroked the lines with his fingertips. He remembered every detail clearly and probably would never forget them in his lifetime.
When they arrived, they went to a convenience store and a nearby supermarket and bought a few bottles of cheap wine.
After shopping, I carried the bag and found a nearby Japanese ramen restaurant.
The store was small, with warm yellow lights, and several office workers huddled in a corner with tired looks. Ye Feng ordered pork bone ramen, with thick slices of pork and the aroma of soup, and crisp bamboo shoots. Lu Yingjiu ordered pork chop omelet rice, with the rice dipped in egg liquid and golden yellow.
While eating, Ye Feng devoured the food like a wolf, while Lu Yingjiu ate slowly and leisurely - he was actually not that interested in eating, as long as he was full.
Lu Yingjiu said, "I seem to have forgotten to buy eggs and milk."
“Do you want to go back to the supermarket?”
"Forget it, there's still time to buy it tomorrow."
"That's right." Ye Feng said, hesitating for a few seconds, "I should be back to take on the commission the day after tomorrow."
He felt a little guilty when he said this.
Lu Yingjiu's office was short of people... To be more precise, there was no one, only Lu Yingjiu, although this commander was no match for ten men. But no matter what, given their friendship, he should join Lu Yingjiu.
But the Qingdeng Society is the best in the underworld, with a wide network of contacts, a lot of good commissions, and extremely considerable rewards. An ordinary exorcist like him is essentially a member of the social animal, and he also has to pay his mortgage while losing his hair. So he despises the current Qingdeng Society, but he is not as free and easy as Lu Yingjiu left.
These past few days he had been thinking about how he would respond if Lu Yingjiu asked him if he wanted to stay in the firm.
Lu Yingjiu picked up a pork chop and said, "Well. You can actually go tomorrow. I don't have much to help you with." He smiled, "Thanks for these days."
"We still say this kind of thing between us." Ye Feng also laughed.
He didn't know whether he was relieved or a little disappointed.
After finishing the crispy takoyaki, Ye Feng said, "I'll treat you to this meal."
"Why?" Lu Yingjiu looked at him.
Ye Feng raised his beer glass: "I wish you a prosperous opening."
On the way back, I opened the car window and the night wind blew in.
The foot bath under the bar was open, the lights were bright, and there was a circle of flashing colored lights around the price list. Lu Yingjiu and Ye Feng carried the wine upstairs and placed them all on the wine cabinet, neatly arranged in a row.
Ye Feng was greedy, so he opened the can and drank it. Lu Yingjiu sat next to him, concentrating on the app on his phone.
The app is called "Two-Faced Buddha" and its icon is a mask with half of its face crying and the other half smiling.
When you click on it, you will see an ordinary forum page, which talks about everything related to the supernatural.
Let me tell you about my terrifying night at the police academy.
Please ask everyone! Is this a ghost
Can a peach wood sword ward off evil? I just hit the head teacher with it, and I need an explanation urgently
—On the surface, “Two-Faced Buddha” is a very popular paranormal forum, where countless people post their strange experiences.
But this app was created for ghost exorcists. People with a keen sense of smell can naturally judge whether there are real ghosts when seeing supernatural posts. In addition, countless ghost exorcists exchange information and accept commissions.
"What have you been looking at today?" Ye Feng took a sip of beer. "Are there any commissions you want to take?"
“I’m not looking at the commissions.” Lu Yingjiu said, “The app launched the live broadcast function three months ago, which is a separate panel from the forum.”
Ye Feng found it strange: "So you also watch this kind of thing."
Lu Yingjiu: “I’m wondering if I should also do live streaming.”
"What are you broadcasting? Your cat or your food show? Oh, you know what, food show must be very promising. There will be a lot of people watching just for your face." Ye Feng touched his chin, "So, you really don't want to consider making your debut?"
"I'm not considering it. I can't sing or dance. If they dare to let me go on stage, I will tell them ghost stories one by one." Lu Yingjiu said, "I'm considering live streaming the supernatural."
Ye Feng: “?”
Lu Yingjiu opened a live broadcast room: "I have been watching different supernatural live broadcasts these days. Some are pure gimmicks, and some are from our peers."
The anchor was exploring an old house.
The curtains fluttered without wind, the wooden door creaked, and bullet screens floated by.
Ye Feng saw that there was clearly a female ghost in white standing at the end of the attic stairs.
Brothers, type your fear on the public screen!
Ah, host, please say a few more words.
This ghost is much more ferocious than any I have ever seen!
The public screens made the brothers feel scared!
"Supernatural live streaming has just become popular, and now is a period of explosive growth in traffic. It is very wise for 'Two-Faced Buddha' to expand its business in this way." Lu Yingjiu said, "I don't really want to do live streaming, but it is much more convenient to say 'I am a ghost-hunting anchor' than 'I am an exorcist' in many occasions."
All he wants is an identity, it doesn't matter whether it's live broadcast or not.
If you start by saying that you can exorcise ghosts, you will be easily dismissed as a charlatan or a liar. But it is different for anchors. It is normal to inquire about and investigate supernatural events for traffic, and it is easier to pry open other people's mouths. A small agency like his that has just started and has no reputation needs such an identity.
Ye Feng thought for a moment: "I think it makes sense. We can give it a try. If you get excited and do a live broadcast once or twice, it will just be a good opportunity to promote the firm. But applying for a live broadcast room is a problem. After all, you have a feud with many people in the Two-Faced Buddha. I don't know if it will work if you apply normally... Wait! The person in charge of this is Tang Baishan," his eyes lit up, "Doesn't he owe you a favor? This will definitely be done."
Lu Yingjiu said, "Not necessarily."
"Of course not. If it weren't for you, how could he be alive today? If you really want to do it, let's make an appointment with him." Ye Feng became more and more excited, "Listen to me, I will go with you tomorrow."
He said that Lu Yingjiu would not refuse anything.
They picked up the trash at night.
Ye Feng put on his shoes and prepared to go home: "Give me all the garbage, I'll go downstairs and throw it away together."
Lu Yingjiu handed him two bags of garbage. Ye Feng opened the door and exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yingjiu asked.
Ye Feng said: "Did you buy eggs and milk just now? They were delivered."
"No."
"There are eggs and two cartons of milk at the door. Let me see... full-fat and fat-free, both good brands. Did you buy them and forget? Wait, there's another box!" Ye Feng bent down to look, "It looks like a kettle. What a coincidence, didn't your kettle just break?"
"Maybe a neighbor bought it and sent it to the wrong place." Lu Yingjiu walked to the door and took a look. The packaging was tightly sealed.
Ye Feng muttered, "How can it be such a coincidence? We were just talking about it while we were having dinner, and it's already been delivered, along with the kettle you were longing for. You must have forgotten it, so I'll bring it in for you first."
Lu Yingjiu frowned slightly: "I really didn't buy it."
"I don't care. We have to catch the last bus." Ye Feng put the things in. "If you are worried, keep them and ask the neighbors tomorrow."
Ye Feng left with the garbage.
Lu Yingjiu looked out of the window and saw him get on the bus.
He put the eggs and milk in the refrigerator and put the box in the corner, thinking, I'll go out and ask tomorrow.
But it was indeed a coincidence, because what came were what he lacked.
…
Tang Baishan used to be the operator of "Chihu Live Broadcast", and now he has moved to Liangmianfo and is responsible for the live broadcast section.
He had encountered a ghost before. The ghost was so vicious that it kept him awake at night and almost killed him.
The Qingdeng Society helped him solve it.
The commission was extremely difficult, and it was Lu Yingjiu who stepped forward at that time. Fortunately for him, he was brave, careful and fearless, and he managed to wipe out the ghost so badly that not even his hometown was left. Otherwise, Tang Baishan would have lost half his life if not killed.
Tang Baishan once said that Lu Yingjiu was his great benefactor.
So Ye Feng felt that he would definitely help Lu Yingjiu.
At least, before today.
In the office, Tang Baishan took a sip of coffee and said with some embarrassment: "I am indeed in charge of the live broadcast..."
Ye Feng asked: "Are there any other questions?"
Tang Baishan put down the cup and leaned forward: "In fact, the live broadcast has only been launched for less than three months. 'Two-Faced Buddha' has no relevant experience before. Many mechanisms are in the trial operation stage and need to be adjusted. If Mr. Lu is here on behalf of the Qingdeng Society, then there is no problem. But look at you now, your firm has just been established and has not even received a commission..."
Ye Feng said: "It has just been launched, don't we just need more anchors?"
Tang Baishan smiled and said, "That's not the case. After all, our platform is special in nature, and the quality must be strictly controlled, otherwise I will be held accountable. So, Mr. Lu, you apply first, and I will try to review it as quickly as possible, but I really can't guarantee success."
This attitude clearly shows that he doesn't want to help.
Ye Feng wanted to speak, but Lu Yingjiu interrupted him and smiled: "Okay." He stood up and said, "Let's go back to the office first."
"Okay, okay." Tang Baishan also stood up and sent them to the door. "Mr. Lu, I'm really sorry."
When I left the office, the sun was shining brightly outside.
Ye Feng muttered: "This person is unreliable. He was so confident at the time, but now he is unwilling to help with such a small favor."
"It's okay." Lu Yingjiu said, "I won't force it."
Ye Feng was still a little angry, he didn't care at all.
The taxi arrived, and Ye Feng said, "Then I'd better go to the club first."
"good."
Lu Yingjiu returned to the office downstairs, and only after entering the house did she remember the milk and eggs from yesterday.
There weren't many people who could be called "neighbors" nearby. There were only three businesses nearby: a foot massage parlor, a real estate developer, and a dentist's clinic, all of which were open for business. Lu Yingjiu asked each of them one by one.
The beautiful receptionist at the foot massage parlor said, "We have a rule that express delivery cannot be sent to the store. Instead of this, handsome guy, can you add WeChat?"
The bald uncle from the real estate agency said, “Why would I buy something like this?”
The young man at the clinic said, "It's not me, sir, do you want a card?"
In short, no one admitted it.
Lu Yingjiu went back and opened the refrigerator to take another look.
The production dates of the eggs and milk were very recent and the quality was fresh, but there was no receipt, so he was not assured even though they were sealed. He did not open the kettle and just threw it in the corner.
He thought, why not leave it for a few more days, maybe he could find a buyer.
…
In the office, Tang Baishan was talking on the phone with a smile on his face.
"Yes, yes, he's gone now. I'll follow up on his application and make sure he doesn't get approved."
"How can this be called malicious suppression? He has offended you, so I must stop him. I have already explained this matter to my employees. With me here, he will definitely not think of broadcasting here."
"Don't worry, don't worry. His firm won't be able to succeed."
After hanging up the phone, Tang Baishan let out a long sigh.
It was getting late and all the employees around had left long ago.
He tidied up his office, turned off the lights and locked the door, and when he got to the corridor he discovered that the elevator was broken.
This is the 19th floor, it's annoying. He cursed and walked towards the end of the stairs.
The lights in the hallway were broken, and it was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything. He used his phone to light the way, and walked down in circles. He felt that the stairs were deep and scary, as if they would never end.
One minute, two minutes, five minutes...
The sound of empty footsteps echoed. His breathing gradually became heavier due to lack of exercise, and he tugged at his tie irritably.
Why hasn’t it arrived yet
Is this staircase that long
After turning another floor, Tang Baishan stopped, panting, and shone the light of his mobile phone upwards.
Above the emergency door, it says "19th Floor".