To the grand wedding ceremony, our table was merely a small sideshow. Everything proceeded according to the meticulously designed program, a clear testament to how much Jiang Chen valued this event. Every detail had been prepared to perfection; he would not tolerate the slightest mishap on his wedding day.
After the introductions of the guests, the CEO of Jiang Jin Group personally delivered his congratulatory speech. Then the host livened up the atmosphere with an opening monologue, leading into the next segment at last.
"Alright, dear friends, let's all count down from five to welcome the bride and groom into the hall."
"In the air of springtime joy and on the Jade Pavilion Bridge comes the couple of the hour. Dressed in a pristine wedding gown, adorned with beautiful flowers, they walk arm in arm and heart to heart to the solemn wedding march. With smiles on their faces, they approach us. Friends, let's extend our heartfelt blessings, our prayers, our cheers, and our applause for their perfect union. Let us celebrate their beautiful future with warmth and excitement!"
Thunderous applause filled the hall. A hundred-meter-long red carpet stretched across the venue. Clad in her wedding dress, Ye Bing, looking as delicate as a bird, held onto Jiang Chen's arm. Beside his beautiful bride, Jiang Chen's pride was palpable.
Wearing a pure white suit, he carried himself with confidence, his gaze scanning the room like a monarch acknowledging his subjects, occasionally waving at the guests.
Halfway down the aisle, he deliberately glanced toward the corner table—likely expecting to find a man consumed by despair, loss, and rage. Too bad for him, that was not the case.
Noticing Jiang Chen's gaze, everyone at the table clapped enthusiastically, feigning an emotional "wish you happiness" demeanor.
Yet two people stood out—they completely ignored Jiang Chen, leaning close together and whispering like conspirators.
"That's…" The smug look on Jiang Chen's face immediately faltered. His eyes lingered on me for a fraction of a second before freezing entirely on Tie Ningxiang.
In her finely dressed appearance today, Tie Ningxiang's radiance utterly eclipsed Ye Bing. It wasn't just her looks but a commanding allure born from her confidence and strength.
As a captain in the Criminal Investigation Unit of her precinct, Tie Ningxiang had climbed the ranks through sheer determination, with little to no reliance on her family background. Such a strong-willed and beautiful woman was bound to ignite any man's desire for conquest.
Noticing Jiang Chen's fiery glare, I turned to Tie Ningxiang, who smiled and whispered, "Why does that groom keep staring at you?"
"He's like a child showing off a new toy—then realizing someone else discarded it long ago and has moved on to something even better."
"That's a strange way of putting it."
"Is it? Oh, hold still, senior. There's a bug on your shoulder." Casually, I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Oops, my mistake."
The wedding continued. For the bride and groom, this was undoubtedly a momentous day. Their ceremony unfolded smoothly, evidently well-rehearsed, as they confidently stood before the host.
Anticipating a flood of clichés, I pulled out my oversized phone, uninterested in the proceedings.
The phone, sourced from Hell Show, had been with me since the day of my first audition. Every night at midnight, all messages and call logs were automatically wiped clean. Sometimes, I couldn't help but wonder if a ghost lived inside it.
Among its three apps, two were entirely ornamental. Bored, I opened the Hell Show icon.
"Congratulations, Host, on completing your first live stream. A new feature—Camera—has now been unlocked. Feel free to use it for your broadcasts."
"An unlocked feature?" I didn't expect Hell Show to be this forward-thinking. During my previous live stream in the cave, I had disappeared briefly from the broadcast due to the cumbersome camera setup. Instead of punishment, I now had a new tool to work with.
Exiting Hell Show, I noticed a new app icon on the home screen—Camera.
Unlike typical phones boasting HD visuals and lifelike effects, the defining feature of this phone was its ability to reveal what ordinary eyes could not see.
Curiosity piqued, I opened the camera and recorded for about ten seconds, panning over my classmates. Nothing alarming appeared.
"Tch, I was hoping for a surprise ghostly figure to pop up," I muttered, sweeping the camera across the crowd. As expected, the vibrant daylight—the peak of yang energy—and the joyous gathering of people were natural deterrents for spirits.
"Looks like I'll have to test this feature in the dead of night," I mused, picturing myself recording in bed and suddenly discovering a ghost lying beside me. "On second thought, maybe I'll just use it sparingly. Ignorance is bliss."
As I was about to put the phone away, something on the screen caught my eye. When the camera turned to the newlyweds, I noticed something unusual clinging to Jiang Chen's back.
Clad in his pure white suit, any anomaly should have been visible to everyone at the wedding.
But something wasn't right! Through the phone's screen, I saw a gaunt, skeletal infant latched onto Jiang Chen's back.
"Impossible!" I thought I was seeing things. Looking directly at Jiang Chen, his dashing, princely figure betrayed no hint of the bizarre.
Yet through the Hell Show camera, the ghastly infant was undeniably real, even moving!
It clung to Jiang Chen's neck with one shriveled hand while the other reached ominously toward Ye Bing.
As the officiant continued, Jiang Chen's sinister passenger crawled closer to his shoulder, extending its deformed fingers into Ye Bing's hair.
"Wait! I've seen something like this before," I whispered. "It's a Kuman Thong!" These Thai spirit children were notorious for granting wealth and fortune at the steep cost of their host's vitality.
The creature's intent was clear—it aimed to possess Ye Bing, to infiltrate her unborn child.
When the officiant asked Ye Bing if she would take Jiang Chen as her husband, her lips began to part, but before she could speak, I shoved my chair aside and stood abruptly.
"I object!"
The room fell silent. Hundreds of eyes turned to me. Taking one last drag from my cigarette, I extinguished it and declared coolly, "Sorry, I can't let this happen."