"Why did she have to hold onto me when I was about to leave? I couldn't move with her dragging me. So, I had no other choice but to let her have it."

On the surveillance screen, a suspect wearing a yellow vest and handcuffs was talking.

He raised his right hand and scratched his chin, he spoke nonchalantly as if he was having a chat instead of explaining the sequences of a crime.

"What- What tools did you use to attack the victim?" The young policeman clenched his fists, trying to suppress his anger so that he doesn't make any impulsive decisions.

His anger was not unwarranted because in front of him was the suspect that had massacred a family of three. They had been searching for the suspect for a few years and when he was found, he was having a drink at a food stall below where the murder had occurred.

Perceiving the policeman's anger, the young man sitting crookedly on the chair looked over, a strange smile plastered on his face.

"Well, it's the folding chair next to her." He slightly adjusted his posture and straighten his clothes as he said this before continuing, "Damn, that thing was hard to beat with, I only struck it once and it broke. It was all like that at that time, dead or alive, I had to find another bench…"

"Ka!"

Following the director's angry roar, the set was quiet for a moment, the crowd turned around in a daze, looking at the camera and remembered- oh, we were filming.

Looking back at the young man on the chair, watching him nodding and smiling at everyone. Although the sensation of heart-fluttering was still there, the fierce and extremely vicious temperament is still unpleasant.

The assistant rushed over with a blanket.

Although there were heaters inside, everyone was still scared of the cold. Especially the few leading actors who had to perform while enduring the terrible weather during the winter months, just looking at them would make one feel cold.

When replaying the footage of the scene, the director was very satisfied, he greeted the actor with a smile on his face: "Teacher Ren has worked hard, hurry up, quickly, bring a bowl of ginger tea."

"You're too polite," the actor in the blanket had a calm expression, his body was shaking like a cat caught in the rain. Despite the warm studio lights facing him, it was still cold. The lead actor Ren Yifei, a handsome young man is also a veteran actor who has been in the industry for more than ten years.

He is the leading example in this generation of actors. He has won two trophies with the greatest sentiment in the country, however, he doesn't have a hobby of showing off. In real life, he is very low-key and people of all ages like him.

Of course, the directors in the circle like him mainly because he was dedicated to his work and diligent.

An actor who never makes people worry- everyone would evaluate as such.

"I still have a few pieces of heating pads over there, take them and share them with everyone. Huu…it's really cold today," he told his assistant after receiving the ginger tea.

A few supporting characters gathered together facing a heater, rubbing their hands and stomping their feet while exhaling and chatting.

When there is filming, the studio is always so crowded.

The supporting actor took off his police cap and touched his forehead. On such a cold day, he was actually sweating, "I almost thought he was a murderer."

Contempt for life and a disregard for the law- these aspects would make one shudder.

"Otherwise, can just anyone become an actor? But it's a pity because they look good, they hinder their acting."

"Is it really being hindered? Teacher Ren has been more open in the past few years, he has become less like an honest and loyal lead, so he had to take on the role of some perverted, neurotic murderer second male lead."

"What a pity."

On the other side, Ren Yifei was already wrapped in a blanket and got into the nanny van. He moved carefully so as not to rub off his makeup on his body- he was too pale, so a darker foundation had been applied.

"I'll make up for sleep, the director will retake a few shots later so call me then." Ren Yifei endured the sleepiness and lay down, turning off the light on his side.

"You can sleep at ease, I'll call you when something happens later."

"Un, you've worked hard."

As soon as the assistant closed the door, the carriage formed a small, private and secured space. From the mattress under him to the smell, they were all familiar to him.

Any artist who has a full schedule has the skill to fall asleep anytime and anywhere. Ren Yifei fell asleep as soon as he touched the bed.

He curled up into a ball, only a tired face and a hand with scar makeup were exposed outside the blanket.

There was an unusual red string around his wrist, even in the dark it still shimmered.

"A Fei, are you awake? Not sleeping anymore?"

A thunderstorm brewed in the peaceful dream. Ren Yifei sprung straight forward, his body tilted and he rolled out of bed the next second, smashing down heavily onto the ground.

The sensation of gravelly soil beneath his fingers, the breeze against his skin and the pain from his tail vertebrae stunned him.

Who called me?

What's going on?

There was light flickering in front of his eyes and the air faintly smelled of scented candles, the quite sudden change in the surrounding reminded him of some scenes he didn't want to recall.

Ren Yifei shook his head. Suddenly, his hand touched something, hard and smooth- like a business card.

Before he could think about it, a shadow cast over him, and he raised his head.

It was a young man, his appearance couldn't be discerned clearly with his back to the light. He was probably in his twenties, dressed in a civilian-style costume of the Republic of China. It was a faded, button-up short coat with a patch on the elbow, showing the uneasiness of the economy.

This costume was quite authentic, Ren Yifei thought subconsciously. However, it felt wrong, it was not like filming.

At this moment, the young man gave him a look of astonishment.

"It can't be, aren't you courageous?" he smiled and stretched out his hand, apologizing but with the stubbornness of a young man as he refused to bow his head.

If this was acting, it was at least a top-tier supporting role.

Ren Yifei's lips were dry, he slowly stretched out one hand while the other hand clamped onto the unknown card, with a twist of his wrist he stuffed it into his sleeve without a trace.

He stood up, flicked the dust from his body and found what he was lying on before was a simple 'small bed' lined up side by side on two tattered long benches covered in a layer of cement.

The ground was not cemented nor made of stone slabs but actual soil with a few weeds growing in the crevices.

It's wrong.

The season is wrong.

It was still winter when he went to bed but now his body felt very warm.

Not the warmth from a heater but a humid and non-artificial warmth.

He was under the eaves, in an open place. The cool breeze hit, blowing away the distinctive summer heat.

Sounds of mosquitoes whizzed around his ears but none could be seen. There seemed to be sounds of chanting over a stereo, accompanied by the sound of unidentifiable crying.

What he smelled was no longer the cold and desolate set. There was the scent of oil and wax after burning candles, the rich scent of incense sticks, and the smoke of joss paper in the air.

"What exactly…"

Ren Yifei looked into the distance, his pupils contracted slightly.

The brightest place in the front is actually a mourning hall, with elegiac couplets (mournful verses) hanging on both sides and white cloth swaying in the wind.

In a dark place, the lights here shone brightly- like the eyes of a black cat reflecting flames of a fire.

A funeral vigil?!

"You're behaving a little strange," the young man looked at him, his voice and smile lost their warmth.

He took a step closer, his face cracked like a ground that lacked moisture, staring at him without the whites of the eyes visible. The gaze held suspicion and inquiry.

Ren Yifei restrained his reflex to back away and his slightly trembling hands.

"What's strange? You've scared me," at this moment, Ren Yifei calmed down. He tried to speak in a familiar and intimate tone, "I was just embarrassed that I fell."

While rubbing the place he had just fallen onto, he pretended to be calm as he frowned at the strange-looking face, "What were you telling me to do?"

This mud puppet-like person scrutinised him, Ren Yifei still looked upset.

After a few seconds, he smiled, his cracked face returned to its original shape of the young man as before.

"A Liang asked me to call you."

Ren Yifei knew that the first hurdle had passed, he twisted his arm and stared at the person in front of him, "Then you don't have to startle me. I hurt my back because of that, I'll have to ask you for medical expenses."

The young man couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder: "You're so squeamish, I really don't know why the elders like you."

Oh, these are similar to prompts, like the ones in auditions when the directors are choosing roles.

Ren Yifei pressed on his hand for a while and tentatively said: "It's probably because I'm so good looking."

The young man snorted, he couldn't say anything to refute when he looked at Ren Yifei's face so he pushed him angrily, "Go, I'll sleep for a while."

Ren Yifei felt his face- it was the face of the teenager, "Wait a moment, you haven't said why A Liang was looking for me."

​​"To play cards," the young man sat down on the stool, he turned his back to the mourning hall as he swayed his arms, "Otherwise, to ask you to move things? Forget it."

After a few exchanges, he figured out the beginning of the plot and a rough idea of the character he was playing: a beautiful, pampered and squeamish boy with no patches on his clothes.

Ren Yifei gave the young man a 'good guy' stamp and walked forward by himself.

In the middle ahead is a hall, which is now used as a mourning hall. A bamboo shed was temporarily built on the side of the mourning hall where a group of young people were playing cards. They were probably the night-watchmen. Most of the mourners in the mourning hall are relatives and descendants of the deceased and A Liang was probably among them.

"A Liang, what were you looking for me for?" Ren Yifei yelled before he even reach the table, with brisk footsteps he became more like the persona from the information given to him.

At the poker table, a young man with his hair parted at the middle raised his head and waved at him: "A Fei, play a match with me, you always lose when you play against A Jie."

The young man on the opposite side became unhappy, "Brother Liang, you can't blame me for this. Being put on the spot is not good."

The young people around started booing, looking like an ordinary scene of a vigil.

Ren Yifei walked over, and the group of young people turned to look at him.

They were all whitewashed faces, cracked eyes with something hidden in the crevices- as if something was looking at him through the cracks. This sensation would give anyone goosebumps.

Ren Yifei closed his eyes trying to ease for a second.

It was too stimulating.

When he opened his eyes again, the faces overlapped with the stern face of the most demanding director in the circle, who had sharp eyes and was both meticulous and strict.

It was difficult to say which was more terrifying- in short, it was a familiar feeling so he felt calm.

"I'm not sober yet, wait for me to wake up then I'll fight them later," he said as he squeezed in naturally next to A Liang.

The night-watchmen around him listened and booed constantly.

When the others heard this sound, they all turned their heads to look only to find that it was just a group of young people playing cards before turning their heads back.

"That's okay, if you lose in this round you can switch players." A Liang said while drawing the cards.

Ren Yifei glanced at him and thought that if he loses, he really can't blame the opponent. If he was to blame anyone, he should blame his stinky hands. What kind of rubbish cards are these?

Everyone was attentively looking at their cards. He glanced left and right, carefully turned half of his body to form an angle with the bamboo shed behind him, and quickly drew the unknown card from his sleeve with his fingers.

It was a rectangular card.

Much like the magic cards and game cards sold at the school gate, used to deceive children.

The back of the card was black, like a boxy coffin. The front was blank. After his fingers brushed over the surface, a line of rose gold text appeared briefly on it.

[One of the players is a murderer, find them or survive for seven days. ]

[Identity: Player. ]

[Role: Night-watchman. ]

[Keywords: Happy Funeral. ]

[9]

.....

Note: Hello! I'm Fish, the new translator. I hope this translation is readable and enjoyable. I'm kind of reading as I translate so the novel would also be a surprise for me and may lead me to make some edits once I completed it.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a great new year. May this new year bring you good health, happiness and good fortune!