Chapter 6

Teleportation

When Lin Qianyou got home, it was already nine o’clock. She casually tossed her crossbody bag on the couch, hummed a song, changed into her pajamas, and went into the bathroom to wash up. Ke Siyu had sent her several messages, but she was too lazy to reply to each one, so she just made a video call.

The call was quickly answered, and Ke Siyu’s voice was anxious. “Lin Qianyou, why did it take you so long to reply?! After they let me go, what did the police ask you? There shouldn’t have been any problems, right?”

Lin Qianyou placed her phone on the washstand, brushed her teeth, and mumbled, “Nothing major. Later, the police called Ye Shuwan over, and after confirming it was a misunderstanding, they let us go.”

“Ye Shuwan? Why did they call her over? Is there something going on with her?”

Lin Qianyou nodded. “The room was booked by Ye Shuwan. She probably finished the audition and left before I got there.”

“Audition?” Ke Siyu snorted, clearly not believing her. “Would she really need to book a hotel for an audition? Maybe she gave Director Li some benefit.”

Lin Qianyou, while rinsing her mouth, almost spit out when she heard Ke Siyu’s next words.

“Hey! Wait! She didn’t sleep with Director Li, did she?!” Ke Siyu suddenly raised her voice. “Ha! So that’s what happened! I thought something was off, she must have been coerced into doing it!”

Lin Qianyou wiped her mouth and picked up her phone to refute, “How could that be? Isn’t her dad a director? Why would she have to sell her body?”

Ke Siyu pursed her lips, unconcerned. “That’s not necessarily true. She’s the kind of person who chases fame and fortune. Who knows what she might do? In addition, I heard from people in the company that she had a fight with her dad recently, and their relationship is really bad. Her dad probably won’t help her get the role from Director Li.”

After finishing her washing up, Lin Qianyou returned to her bedroom, sat cross-legged on the bed, and continued talking to Ke Siyu. “What you said makes a bit of sense, but I don’t think that’s the case. But that Director Li does look pretty sleazy. He kept eyeing me with that creepy expression in the hotel, it was so uncomfortable.”

“Ugh, so disgusting!” Ke Siyu made a grimace. “But there’s nothing we can do, right? He’s in such a high position, many actors would fight to be in his projects.”

Lin Qianyou sighed. “Sigh, I have no chance. Director Li will definitely give the role to Ye Shuwan.”

“What are you talking about! Totally wrong! The role is definitely for you!” Ke Siyu excitedly slapped her thigh from the other side of the call.

Lin Qianyou was taken aback. “For me? Why?”

“Of course it’s for you! Because you know their secret about sleeping together. Director Li will definitely offer you something to keep your mouth shut. Don’t you get it? You’re still too innocent…”

“Is… is that so?” Lin Qianyou still wasn’t completely convinced.

“Just wait for Director Li’s message. I swear, this role is absolutely yours.”

“Ah? Well, okay then.” Lin Qianyou was still unsure.

As their conversation continued, the topic slowly shifted. Ke Siyu, with a lovesick grin, asked, “You, what do you think about that police officer? Isn’t he handsome?”

“Police officer? You mean ‘Brother Officer’?” Lin Qianyou corrected her. “He is quite handsome, but which one are you talking about? The two young police officers are both good-looking. They’d probably do well in the entertainment industry.”

“Yeah, they’re all pretty handsome, but I’m talking about the tallest one. He was in all black sportswear, with a face that looked like he was annoyed with everyone. I remember one police officer called him Shanglan, but I don’t know his surname.”

“Oh… him? His surname is Qi, and his name is Qi Shanglan.” As soon as Lin Qianyou mentioned him, she suddenly remembered that she and he had been possessed by the gods and their divine powers. She pursed her lips, and a smile appeared on her face.

She adjusted her sitting posture and lay down on the bed, raising her smooth little legs as she spoke to the phone screen where Ke Siyu appeared. “Siyu, let me tell you something.”

“What is it? Don’t tell me you’re infatuated with him too.”

“What? I wanted to say—”

However, she barely got halfway through her sentence when her peripheral vision caught sight of something suddenly appearing next to the bed.

Without thinking, she turned her head to look and saw someone standing by the bed.

It was Qi Shanglan.

He was shirtless, showing off his toned upper body, wearing only black sports shorts. He held a cup in his left hand and a toothbrush in his right, brushing his teeth with foam around his lips. He was staring at Lin Qianyou on the bed, looking completely bewildered.

The shock wasn’t only on Lin Qianyou’s face, but also on the other end of the phone, where Ke Siyu seemed stunned.

“Lin Qianyou, what are you looking at? Is there someone at home?” Ke Siyu faintly saw Qi Shanglan standing behind Lin Qianyou, but only saw half of his body. “No way, Lin Qianyou! You’re dating behind my back?! How could you, as an artist, be in a relationship?!”

Lin Qianyou snapped back to reality at Ke Siyu’s shout and quickly ended the call. “I have something to do, Siyu. I’ll hang up now.”

Qi Shanglan remained frozen in place. He had been brushing his teeth at home, vaguely hearing someone call his name. But he couldn’t make it out clearly and thought it was a neighbor calling him. Just as he was about to step out to check, he suddenly found himself in Lin Qianyou’s house.

“Why are you here?!” Lin Qianyou sat up straight from the bed, surprised as she asked him.

“I… also… want to ask that,” Qi Shanglan replied, still stunned.

—

At ten o’clock in the evening, in the Eastern City Earth Temple, the seal on the temple door was peeled off again.

Qi Shanglan had changed into a white T-shirt, one that Lin Qianyou had dug out from her wardrobe. Most of her clothes were form-fitting, and either exposed the shoulders or waist. After searching for a while, this was the only one that fit him.

“I’ll return the clothes tomorrow,” he said, pushing the temple door open and stepping inside.

“Huh? No need, no need.” Lin Qianyou was distracted, replying to Ke Siyu’s messages without paying much attention to him.

“Hmm?” Qi Shanglan furrowed his brows, glancing back at her.

“Oh, I mean, no need to hurry. Aren’t you police officers busy? Just return them when you have time. And it’s fine if you don’t return them, most of my clothes are sent by the brand, for free.” She smiled at him, her eyes curving, looking sweet as she spoke.

Under the night sky, Qi Shanglan looked down at her, his face slightly shadowed by the moonlight. Lin Qianyou couldn’t clearly see his face, but she could clearly make out his sharp, attractive facial features. No wonder Ke Siyu was smitten with him. He was undeniably stunning, and even just his silhouette outshone most men.

In the dim light, Lin Qianyou didn’t realize how long she had been admiring him before hearing him say, “It still needs to be returned.”

His voice was light, and after saying that, he turned and walked away. Lin Qianyou was a beat too slow and said, “Huh?” before adding, “Oh, okay, I’ll go to the police station to get it from you then, no need for you to deliver it.”

Qi Shanglan didn’t think it was troublesome, and besides, it wasn’t right to have a girl run errands. He was about to offer to bring the clothes to her house later when suddenly, Ah Fu appeared out of nowhere.

“Great deity!” It scurried over with its little legs, jumping up to hug Lin Qianyou’s calf. She was wearing shorts, and Ah Fu affectionately rubbed against her exposed skin a few times before looking up with excitement and asking, “Great deity, you’re back? Did you miss Ah Fu?”

Its round, eager eyes were full of anticipation, but soon they became a bit downcast. It lowered its head and muttered, “But I’m just a little immortal child, I must stay in the temple and can’t go out to look for Great deity…”

It clung to Lin Qianyou’s leg, not letting go. Lin Qianyou was about to comfort it when, unexpectedly, Qi Shanglan grabbed it by the neck and lifted it up in front of him. He looked a bit impatient as he asked, “What are you doing out here? Trying to scare people?”

Ah Fu struggled to break free from his grip, feeling wronged as it said, “Ah Fu isn’t scary at all, and humans can’t even see me!”

Its angry little appearance amused Qi Shanglan. He smirked and crouched down to ask, “Little brat, I have a question for you.”

“What does Great deity want to ask?”

Qi Shanglan continued, “I want to know if divine messenger have the ability to teleport?”

Ah Fu nodded. “Of course, that’s the most basic ability of an immortal. All the powers of an immortal are granted by the gods. As long as the gods summon an immortal, no matter where the immortal is, even if it’s a thousand miles away, they must appear in front of the god at the first moment.”

Lin Qianyou crouched down happily, “Wow, that’s so amazing! What about me? Do I have special abilities too?”

However, Ah Fu shook its head. “The powers of the gods are used by the divine messenger on their behalf. The gods don’t have special abilities, but they can command the divine messenger to act according to their will.”

“Ah, I see,” Lin Qianyou said with some disappointment but was still excited. She glanced at Qi Shanglan and poked his arm. “Hey, from now on, you’re a superhero!”

“…”

The two of them asked Ah Fu many more questions. In summary, the divine messenger were just tools, bound to unconditionally obey the gods’ commands. Their superpowers could only be used when summoned by the gods or when they were with the gods. At other times, divine messenger were no different from ordinary people. In addition, the gods and their divine messenger could travel between the realms of yin and yang, managing the life-and-death records of the people.

Once they understood most of it, they each took a cab home. After arriving home, Qi Shanglan remembered that he had left his toothbrush and cup at Lin Qianyou’s place. He instinctively took out his phone to send a message, only to realize that they hadn’t even added each other as friends on WeChat.

However, another message appeared on his WeChat from someone else—his mother. Or more precisely, his stepmother. His dad wasn’t his biological father either. The two had adopted him from an orphanage over a decade ago.

Mom: Shanglan, don’t stay outside. When are you coming home? Your dad and I miss you, and your little brother is asking about you nonstop.

Mom: What your dad said was out of anger, don’t be mad at him. He’s too embarrassed to apologize to you and can’t bring himself to go to the police station to find you. He’s feeling bad too.

Mom: Can you come home soon? I’ll make you your favorite dishes.

After reading the messages, Qi Shanglan simply replied with two words: “Got it.”

—

After Lin Qianyou got home, she barely managed to lie to Ke Siyu and calm her down. Just as she was preparing to lie down and rest, she received a text message from Director Li Zheng: Qianyou, the role of the third female lead has been assigned to you. I hope you don’t let me down and continue to work hard! Also, please keep the matter of us being taken to the police station today confidential. (Cupping fists)

Lin Qianyou gasped in surprise when she saw the message. She quickly typed a reply: Okay, Director Li! I won’t say anything! Thank you for giving me this opportunity! I’ll keep working hard!

She forwarded the message to Ke Siyu, who was even more excited than she was. The two of them chatted a bit more before going to sleep.

However, the next morning, another shocking message arrived: Ye Shuwan committed suicide.