Willing to Believe Him

Shen Zhixia originally just wanted to stay farther away.

It seemed the director was discussing the corridor's lighting with the gaffer, and the crew members kept gathering, clogging the already narrow passageway. The Yang Energy from those living people was like invisible balls of fire, crowding her Spirit Body until she felt faint. She pressed herself against the wall and backed away, all the way to the sealed door at the end of the side corridor, barely managing to steady herself.

This was the coldest, darkest corner of the castle. The closed stairway led to the basement, and no one had dared to come near it in ten years. Shen Zhixia usually didn't like coming here either, because black mist always seeped through the cracks in the door, crawling outward like something alive.

But right now, she couldn't afford to be picky.

She shrank into the shadows by the door, watching from afar as Lu Chenzhou stood surrounded by a group of staff members, talking. That Triple-Crown Best Actor stood in the center of the crowd, wearing a perfectly appropriate smile, occasionally nodding as if he was seriously listening to something important.

Shen Zhixia stared at him for a moment, then felt something was off.

He was clearly talking to people, but his gaze kept drifting in her direction. Not in an obvious way — he would turn his head naturally, as if looking at the window at the end of the corridor or a decorative painting on the wall, but his gaze always paused where she was hiding.

"He can't see me," Shen Zhixia muttered to herself. "Living people can't see me."

No sooner had she spoken than a denser surge of black mist suddenly gushed from the crack beneath the door behind her.

The mist seemed to have sensed something and lunged straight toward her. Startled, Shen Zhixia tried to dodge, but found she couldn't move — ahead of her was the pressing Yang Energy of the crew gathering closer, and behind her was the crushing black mist. Her entire Spirit Body was caught in between, as if about to be torn in two.

Her form began to turn translucent, even her fingertips becoming nearly invisible.

"No..." Shen Zhixia wanted to scream, but no sound came out. She felt herself slowly dissipating, like smoke being blown away by the wind.

Just then, a voice came from the other end of the corridor.

"I haven't inspected this area yet."

It was Lu Chenzhou's voice — low and steady, carrying an undeniable politeness.

Shen Zhixia barely lifted her head and saw that the Triple-Crown Best Actor had already stepped out of the crowd and was walking this way. He didn't walk fast, his steps were light, but each step seemed to land on some invisible rhythm.

"Mr. Lu, that area is restricted. The director said there's no need for now—" a staff member followed behind, explaining.

"Precisely because it's restricted, I should take a look in advance." Lu Chenzhou cut him off, his tone gentle but leaving no room for negotiation. "If we need to temporarily adjust camera positions during shooting, we can't exactly come here to scout the location last minute."

As he spoke, he had already reached the entrance of the side corridor, and then very naturally turned sideways, blocking the few staff members who wanted to follow.

"The lighting is bad here. You all go ahead with your other tasks. I'll just take a look around on my own."

The people hesitated for a moment but ultimately nodded and left. After all, he was a Triple-Crown Best Actor — if he said he wanted to inspect the location, who would dare to stop him?

Shen Zhixia watched Lu Chenzhou enter the side corridor, step by step approaching her. She wanted to hide, but her Spirit Body was too weak and about to dissolve — she couldn't even move a finger.

The black mist kept surging from the door crack, as if sensing the scent of prey, growing denser and denser.

Lu Chenzhou stopped three steps away from her.

He didn't look at her. Instead, he raised a hand to adjust his cuff, his movements as refined as if preparing for some formal occasion. Then he lifted his left hand, his thumb gently flicking over the string of black sandalwood beads on his wrist — one, two, three.

Shen Zhixia suddenly felt a wave of warmth.

It wasn't the scorching Yang Energy of a living person, but a very gentle warmth, like moonlight. That warmth radiated from Lu Chenzhou, blocking the Yang Energy ahead and also holding back the black mist behind.

Her Spirit Body stopped dispersing.

"Hiding in a place like this — you've got some nerve," Lu Chenzhou said quietly, his voice so low it seemed meant only for her. "Or do you simply have no idea what's here?"

Shen Zhixia was stunned.

He... was talking to her?

"You can see me?" she asked tentatively, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Lu Chenzhou didn't answer. He just tilted his head slightly, as if examining a crack in the wall, but his gaze was clearly fixed on her.

"A bound spirit," he said. "How long have you been trapped here?"

Shen Zhixia opened her mouth, not knowing how to answer. She had never met a living person who could see her, and she never expected the first person who did would ask such a question so calmly.

"Ten years," she finally said softly. "I've been dead for ten years."

Lu Chenzhou's brow furrowed slightly, as if calculating something.

"Ten years ago, what happened here?"

"I... I don't remember." As Shen Zhixia said this, she felt the answer sounded too dismissive, so she quickly added, "I mean, I remember I died, but I don't remember how. When I woke up, I was already here, and I've never been able to leave."

She paused, then suddenly became wary, staring at Lu Chenzhou. "Are you here to catch me? I've never hurt anyone! Those crew members scaring themselves — that has nothing to do with me!"

Lu Chenzhou glanced at her, his eyes carrying an indescribable expression.

"If you had hurt anyone, you wouldn't be hiding here right now, nearly dissolving from that black mist," he said. "You have no resentment on you, no Blood Debt. You're just an ordinary bound spirit."

Shen Zhixia breathed a sigh of relief but still felt something was off.

"Then... then what is this black mist?"

"Resentment," Lu Chenzhou said. "Very heavy resentment. Its source should be behind this door."

He pointed at the sealed door, then looked at Shen Zhixia. "Are you sure you don't remember what happened here?"

Shen Zhixia shook her head vigorously. "I really don't remember! I only know I can't leave the castle — if I try, I get pulled back."

Lu Chenzhou was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "What's your name?"

"Shen Zhixia," she answered honestly.

"Of the Shen family?"

"Yes."

Lu Chenzhou's gaze deepened, as if connecting some clues.

"Ten years ago, the young Miss Shen fell to her death in this castle," he said. "Was that you?"

Shen Zhixia nodded, then shook her head. "I don't know... I just remember that I died, but not how."

As she spoke, her voice grew softer, until it was almost inaudible. "I can't remember."

Lu Chenzhou looked at her and didn't press further. Instead, he turned to face the sealed door.

"The resentment here isn't yours." He paused. "But it's connected to your death."

Shen Zhixia froze. "What do you mean?"

Lu Chenzhou's gaze swept over her fading Spirit Body, as if confirming some detail. He noticed that along the edges of her Spirit Body, an extremely faint trace of cold, foreign aura flickered like a crack, not belonging to her. "You didn't fall by yourself," he said with certainty. "Someone pushed you."

Shen Zhixia's mind exploded into a blank.

She wanted to argue, wanted to say it was impossible, but the words wouldn't come out. Because she suddenly realized — she really didn't remember how she died, nor who she had seen last before her death.

Those memories were like someone had gouged out a chunk, leaving a black hole behind.

"I..." She opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.

Lu Chenzhou didn't look at her anymore. Instead, he raised his hand and pressed it against the door. His fingers tapped lightly three times on the wooden surface, as if testing something.

"There's something inside," he said. "Something very dangerous."

Shen Zhixia instinctively stepped back, but then remembered she was already a ghost — there wasn't much left for her to fear.

"Then... then what do we do?"

Lu Chenzhou withdrew his hand, turned around, and looked at her. His gaze was calm, but Shen Zhixia inexplicably felt that the way he looked at her was different from how he looked at other ghosts.

"You leave first," he said. "Whatever's behind this door — it's not something you can handle."

"What about you?" Shen Zhixia asked.

"Me?" Lu Chenzhou let out a faint smile — so slight it was barely a polite twitch of his lips. "I'm going in to take a look."

Shen Zhixia's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? You just said it was dangerous in there!"

"That's exactly why I need to see." Lu Chenzhou said. "Otherwise, by the time it comes out on its own, it'll be even more troublesome."

As he spoke, he was already reaching for the seal on the door.

Shen Zhixia wanted to stop him, but didn't know how. She was just a ghost — she couldn't even touch him.

"You... be careful," was all she could finally say.

Lu Chenzhou's hand paused midair. He tilted his head to look at her.

"You're worried about me?"

Shen Zhixia was taken aback for a moment, then nodded vigorously. "You're the first person who can see me! If you die, I'll have to spend another ten years all alone!"

Lu Chenzhou looked at her, a flicker of some indescribable emotion passing through his eyes.

"I won't," he said. "I won't die."

With those words, he turned and pushed open the door.

Beyond the door was nothing but darkness. The black mist surged out like a tide, but the moment it touched Lu Chenzhou, it recoiled sharply, as if encountering a natural enemy.

Shen Zhixia watched his silhouette disappear into the darkness, and suddenly felt a hollow ache in her chest.

She had never felt this way before.

For ten years, she had been alone in the castle, used to loneliness, used to being ignored, used to no one seeing her.

But just now, for a moment, someone had stepped in front of her.

Someone had seen her, spoken to her, and told her "I won't die."

Standing outside the door, staring into the darkness, Shen Zhixia suddenly felt that if this person could really help her find the truth, then she was willing to believe him.

Even if he was a living person.

Even if she was a ghost.