Chapter 29
No matter what, in this moment, the joy of both human and ghost was shared.
Shi Jian swaggered out through the manager’s elevator, using the fake hairpiece to leash the theater manager’s facial skin. After successfully tricking the actress earlier with the same hairpiece, Shi Jian discovered another clever use for it.
The quality was excellent—very sturdy—and it could even adjust in length.
It was perfect for tying things.
Although Shi Jian had overcome her psychological discomfort and now found the manager’s appearance rather friendly, she still didn’t really want to carry that patch of skin around.
As for using the manager’s elevator—of course it was because the stairwells were crawling with exposed live wires, while the manager’s elevator was perfectly safe.
Since she was helping the manager with his eyebrows, there was no way he wouldn’t lend her the elevator.
Others walked dogs—Shi Jian walked the manager’s face. Having exited the theater and basking in the sunlight, she chatted with her viewers in a relaxed tone.
“I’m really curious now about what’s going to happen to the costume.”
Livestream viewers: Who wouldn’t be curious at this point?!
【Same here.】
【I’ve already sent support to the streamer—this side is way too fun, the other team is so boring, hurry up already!】
【Just a while ago I was most worried about the costume being ruined—now I’m most excited for it to be ruined. (doge)】
…
No ads, no filler—the awaited scene between Shi Jian and the audience came quickly.
Not long after she had finished giving the manager new eyebrows, the actress began shrieking while clutching her performance dress and launched into her act.
“Ah?! What’s wrong with my dress?!”
“Why is it covered in blood?! How am I supposed to wear this?!”
“I’ve said it so many times—this costume is important! Is the person responsible for it brain-dead?! Why is someone like that even allowed to work? Why is she even allowed to live, wasting air and food?! Her mother never should’ve given birth to her—she should be skinned alive and have her tendons pulled out—”
The once-pristine dress was now mysteriously stained with large bloodstains, extremely eye-catching.
This had, of course, been part of the actress’s plan. No matter how carefully Shi Jian protected it, the dress would inevitably transform at a set trigger point.
The actress was going all out with her tirade—Shi Jian could tell she was pouring every ounce of her acting skill into this one scene.
She looked absolutely furious and feigned complete ignorance.
The actress’s original plan was to detach herself from the incident and pin all the blame on the scapegoat. She never respected her assistant to begin with, and had already planned to fire Shi Jian right after this.
But the more the actress cursed, the more Shi Jian enjoyed it—and so did the livestream viewers.
Only the manager was unhappy—mission accomplished.
The actress, so sure that everything was going according to plan, had no idea the scapegoat role had already been passed on.
The manager, standing nearby, grew increasingly grim as he listened. At last, he could no longer hold it in and cut off the actress, who was lost in her gleeful tirade.
“That’s enough!”
“I was the one in charge of the costume.”The actress’s cursing came to an abrupt halt. She looked a bit confused. “Huh?”
Why was it the manager? Shouldn’t it have been Shi Jian?
Off to the side, Shi Jian watched with admiration: how exciting! What a show.
The actress felt the need to explain. She forced a smile. “...Manager, I don’t know how my costume ended up in your hands?”
The manager replied gravely, “I asked Xiao Shi to help me with something, so I took care of the costume for you... Enough explanations. I think you're targeting me.”
“You tell me—have you been eyeing my skin for a long time now?”
The manager glared angrily at the actress, speaking in a tone that said “I see right through you.”
The actress: ??? Who are you insulting with that taste?
Though the actress couldn’t compare to Shi Jian in terms of looks, she was still far more attractive than the balding, detachable-skin-wearing manager.
Shi Jian: ??? She didn’t know it could be twisted like this either.
Let’s just say the actress happened to hit the sore spot—the manager was already convinced that when she mentioned skinning someone, it was because she had her eyes on his skin. This sent him into a rage.
Before dealing with the actress, the manager carefully put away his skin. Now that it had nice eyebrows, it was even more valuable—of course he had to protect it.
Then, the manager—his bloody, censored-out body on full display—stormed off to confront the actress.
Shi Jian? She just tagged along to enjoy the drama with the audience.
With no dog in the fight, Shi Jian casually whispered to her viewers.
“Good afternoon, dear viewers. The great battle between the manager and the actress has officially begun. As we can see, it’s a fierce contest. The actress is first to use her escape skill. Will she make it out?”
“Oh, nope—our manager is faster. He’s already caught her and is going in with a right hook—direct hit on target...”
Shi Jian had never done commentary before, but even if she hadn’t eaten pork, she’d seen pigs run—Shi Jian the commentator was on air.
Livestream viewers: This pretty streamer is such a menace. Let’s get more of it!
Who could resist a gorgeous streamer with such a fun personality?
【Actress: So noble, huh? I’m just your entertainment. PS I’ve already sent my support, go wife go!】
【You upstairs—yeah, you’ve exposed yourself. (staring)】
...
That morning alone, Shi Jian had gone through—
Being bullied by the actress to fetch a ridiculously complicated coffee order, or else she’d be fired; nearly electrocuted by the live wires; almost caught by the actress in the bathroom; and narrowly escaping scapegoat status, among many other trials.
And she still managed to turn the tables in her favor.
When Shi Jian first entered the PK instance, she was told that the assistant role would come with many dangers. But having each crisis follow so quickly still kept her very busy.
So then... where would the next danger appear?
Both Shi Jian and the livestream viewers held their breath in anticipation.
A single day’s instance shouldn’t feel long, but with all the near-death incidents happening one after another, it was only just noon.Shi Jian had been on guard against the actress stirring up trouble, but the new danger came from outside.
The actress had asked Shi Jian to go downstairs and pick up lunch—after all, it was noon, time for a meal, and the assistant’s portion was included in the order.
Now that Shi Jian had access to the manager’s elevator, she no longer feared going downstairs. The food delivery guy was perfectly normal, but then a disheveled-looking middle-aged man suddenly burst out.
He shouted at the theater, “F*** your grandpa, give me my money back!”
“What kind of dogsh*t performance was that? Trash! And you’ve got the nerve to charge money for it?”
Shi Jian: Looks like a very emotional theater fan.
Her eyes immediately shifted to the delivery guy’s back seat—she was thinking of asking if he could give her a lift.
Not because she was scared or cowardly, mostly because... she just wanted to ride along.
But the angry theatergoer had already locked eyes on Shi Jian. He muttered, “I’ll kill you!”
Both Shi Jian and the livestream viewers saw him suddenly pull out a chainsaw like he was doing a magic trick. The chainsaw revved to life with a loud buzz, roaring with full power. There was no doubt—it could slice a person cleanly into pieces.
The raging theatergoer charged straight at Shi Jian. The heat from the spinning chain surged toward her as he closed in.
Shi Jian: !
Where the hell did that chainsaw come from?
But this wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. Instead of turning and running, Shi Jian suddenly seemed to recall something, her expression serious. She raised a hand to stop him.
“Wait a second!”
The theatergoer didn’t stop. “You tell me to wait and I’ll just stop? What do I look like, a chump?”
Besides, he already imagined what she’d say next—tears and begging, pleading for mercy, trying to reason with him. But no, he wasn’t going to calm down!
What Shi Jian actually said was: “Did you mistake me for the actress?”
Utterly serious.
This time, the theatergoer did stop. The crazed expression on his face gave way to confusion. His chainsaw was already almost at her, about to slice her in half—and this was what she wanted to ask?
Respect for herself, sure. But respect for the chainsaw?
The livestream, which had just been filled with screams of “Ahhhh!” was now still full of “Ahhhh?”—the screams turning into confused question marks.
Ah?
Shi Jian had already pulled a pink high heel out of her bag. She pointed the heel at the raging fan, who suddenly felt like this was a question that needed to be answered carefully.
From a cocky lunatic, he now resembled a job-seeker carefully choosing his words. “No, I know you’re not her. You look completely different.”
Shi Jian let out a breath of relief. “Good. So I wasn’t mistaken.”
She’d thought the guy had confused her with the actress—and that, Shi Jian could not accept.
The theatergoer, sensing he’d just come off as a bit too soft, tried to recover his image. He gripped his chainsaw again and snarled, “You may not be the actress, but I know you work for the theater. I watched a trash show, wasted my money, my energy, my hopes—you people from the theater are all to blame. I want blood!”
Completely unreasonable—but then again, when did monsters in horror games ever act reasonably?
Shi Jian also lost the fearless, heel-wielding stance she’d had earlier. A high heel wasn’t going to beat a chainsaw. Fear returned.
She couldn’t outrun him, either. She couldn’t take the stairs—they were live wires—and the elevator hadn’t come down yet. And even if it did, the guy could just ride it up too.She couldn’t win a fight, and escape wasn’t an option either.
Shi Jian figured her best bet was to bluff something useful—especially since this guy was dead set on her being a theater employee.
As it turned out, crisis really did bring out her full potential. With an exceptionally serious expression, Shi Jian forced something out:
“You’re targeting me because you think I work for the theater, right? But the truth is—I’m an undercover agent.”
...
A brief silence followed. But Shi Jian had no way back now—every fiber of her being screamed:
Believe me.
Perhaps because of how convincingly serious she looked, the enraged fan finally hesitated. “You’re... undercover?”
He didn’t shove the chainsaw toward her again, but it was still whirring right in front of her.
Shi Jian tried her best to ignore the chainsaw’s presence. Her eyes gleamed with sincerity—after all, she really didn’t want to get chainsawed for failing to maintain eye contact.
She nodded. “Yes, I’m on your side.”
“You might not know this, but I work for the Actor Oversight Bureau. When actors fail to meet performance standards, it falls under our department.”
“If you think she acted poorly anywhere, please—tell me in detail. I’ll take notes. We need your cooperation. You’re very important to us!”
The fan completely dropped his guard. “Oh... ohhhh!”
He lowered the chainsaw.
He had never felt so valued before. And to think—a government agency that deals with bad actors? Incredible!
...
【HAHAHAHA I’m laughing so hard the whole neighborhood’s gonna need hearing aids now】
【Undercover agent—I’m dying. This performance is too real, I almost believed the Actor Oversight Bureau was a real thing. (dog head emoji)】
【Streamer is such a professional bullsh*tter】
【I don’t want to leave this stream anymore. What if I miss something hilarious?】
And Shi Jian actually began talking seriously with the fan.
The theatergoer had so many complaints built up, he started spilling them one after another like a broken dam.
“Finally someone’s doing something about these garbage actors. Trash actors ruined my youth, ruined my favorite shows.”
“I’m telling you, this actress couldn’t even memorize her lines. Last time I watched her, she just stood there reciting numbers. Even my dog could act better.”
Shi Jian nodded attentively and even pulled out her phone to “take notes.”
The fan continued, “She acted so half-assed—got pricked by a rose thorn and there was barely any blood. How is that realistic?”
That one stumped Shi Jian. What else was supposed to happen?
The fan replied, as if it were obvious: “Of course it should’ve sprayed blood! A whole bloody fountain would’ve been even better. But these theaters don’t put in the effort anymore. Actors these days are all useless. Ugh...”
Shi Jian: ?Alright, the performance standards in this world are clearly... different. Respect.
“Understood, sir. Got it. Thank you for your cooperation.”
The fan replied, “Don’t mention it. Please, make sure to keep them in check.”
Not only did the fan stop waving his chainsaw at Shi Jian, he even started addressing her with respect. He even offered to buy her a coffee—which she declined.
Still, it was clear how deranged he’d become after watching a beloved show be ruined.
...
“Xiao Shi, there’s an interview this afternoon. Don’t forget to remind your artist.”
Just after Shi Jian bid farewell to the deranged fan and returned to the theater, another staff member reminded her of a new task—getting the actress to attend a press interview.
Shi Jian’s heart hadn’t even calmed down yet, and now she had another assignment to tackle.
She could already see the reporter waiting in the lounge to interview the actress.
But of course, since the actress was inherently unreliable, although Shi Jian relayed the message to her, the actress disappeared without a trace. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find her.
It was clearly intentional—she didn’t want to do the interview.
As the assistant, Shi Jian had no choice but to manage the aftermath. She took the initiative to bring water to the reporter, who was wearing glasses and had a refined, polite appearance.
Shi Jian asked, “Hello, are you the reporter here to interview the artist?”
The reporter nodded, but he had a question too. “Excuse me, where is the actress?”
Shi Jian apologized, “Sorry, we haven’t been able to reach her for now. You might need to wait just a little bit...”
—Though in truth, they might be waiting forever.
Then, the reporter—who had seemed perfectly normal a moment ago—suddenly acted like he snapped. He muttered to himself, “I’m really fed up. Why do they keep ghosting me? Don’t they realize other people’s time matters too?”
“I prepared interview questions, flew in from miles away... I’m done with this!”
【Look at his fingernails!】
Shi Jian, being close by, immediately noticed something was off—his previously normal fingernails were growing at a rapid pace. His fingers were becoming dry and shriveled, covered in livor mortis marks. A foul, rotting stench hit her nose.
“……”
This time, Shi Jian was mentally prepared. The chainsaw-wielding fan earlier had appeared suddenly, but this reporter hadn’t. She’d already guessed something might be wrong when she approached with the water.
There was no way she could just stand there and watch him fully monsterize.
So she quickly spoke up, “I get you!”
Brother, I understand you.
Sure enough, her words caught the reporter’s attention. He stared at her intensely and asked, “Then can you bring the actress to me? But now I can only wait…”
He extended one finger toward Shi Jian and said, “One minute.”
In one minute, he would completely transform into a monster. The livor mortis had already crept up his neck.
And once that transformation completed, Shi Jian’s fate would be sealed—
Eliminated. PK failed!The viewers in the livestream were already getting anxious, trying to figure out how to locate the actress within a minute—it was clearly a tall order.
But Shi Jian didn’t try to do that. Instead, she nudged the cup of water toward the reporter. “Have some water.”
Then she suggested, “Bro, how about you interview me?”
The reporter looked surprised. “Interview you?”
Shi Jian confirmed confidently, “Yes. I’m a star of the future, soon to become the leading figure of this theater. If you interview me, you’ll be the one who discovered me.”
Her voice was laced with persuasion: Doesn’t this opportunity sound huge and promising? And the key is—it’s actually achievable.
The reporter was swayed by the grand vision she painted. He gave Shi Jian a once-over and decided she really did have what it took to be the theater’s future star.
Abandoning the idea of interviewing the actress, he started interviewing Shi Jian instead. Before long, within this simulation world, everyone had come to know a rising star named Shi Jian.
Meanwhile, the actress was hiding in some dark corner, picking at her toenails and smugly thinking, “Shi Jian’s probably desperately looking for me right now, huh?”
Hehe, she won’t find me. I won’t let her.
In reality, Shi Jian had completely forgotten about her.
When the interview ended, Shi Jian rose from the soft sofa, having just been showered in praise by the reporter—“born to be a star,” “flawless from every angle.” Shi Jian smiled humbly, “Naturally.”
Wasn’t it obvious? No need to even say it.
Viewers in the livestream felt the situation was getting more and more entertaining.
But in truth, Shi Jian was playing an even bigger game.
...
The actress was scheduled to go on stage at 5 p.m., but she’d never actually planned to. Now, at the last minute, she started acting up.
“I don’t feel well. My throat hurts. I’m in a bad mood. I really can’t perform.”
The supervisor’s skin got even more wrinkled from sheer anger, and he exploded. “If you don’t go on, then who will? The audience is already here waiting for your performance, and now you’re telling me you’re not doing it?”
He’d also noticed something strange—there were way more people in the audience today, nearly ten times the usual number.
The supervisor was beyond frustrated. Even though he couldn’t stand the actress—and after today’s “coveting-my-skin” incident, he disliked her even more—the fact remained she was the only actress in the theater.
The actress was relying on that, behaving with absolute impunity. She played with her nails, full of arrogance, knowing that if she dragged things out, the supervisor would have no choice but to coax her, beg her even.
She had her own plan too.
She wanted the assistant to come beg her. Then she’d really torment her—before kicking her out!
So she looked around: “Where is that damned assistant?”
Just then, a voice full of emotion rang out:
“My fate is like a withered leaf on the sea, helplessly adrift. I often envy the little sparrows outside—for at least they are free...”
The voice came from the very assistant the actress was searching for—Shi Jian.
Shi Jian stood not far away. This time, she wasn’t just reciting lines—she accompanied them with gestures. Her radiant face showed pain and yearning for freedom. Her long, graceful form moved with beauty and grace.
She stood where the lights didn’t reach, in dim surroundings—but some people can light up their space just by being there.
The supervisor’s face lit up as he witnessed this scene. He smacked his thigh hard—he’d just been wondering what to do, and now he realized: wasn’t the answer standing right there?The supervisor called out to Shi Jian, “Xiao Shi, come here.”
Shi Jian walked over. “Supervisor, you need something?”
She pretended not to know, but this was exactly the moment she’d been waiting for.
The supervisor asked, “If you were asked to go on stage, could you perform?”
The actress immediately sensed danger, alarm bells blaring in her head—damn it, Shi Jian had such intentions all along!
She didn’t think Shi Jian was just bluffing.
“Supervisor, I think maybe I...”
The actress forced a dry smile. She had already decided to back down a little; if Shi Jian pretended to decline modestly, she would step up and agree to perform.
But Shi Jian responded crisply, “I can.”
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Supervisor. I’ll treasure it. I’ll go get changed right away!”
Shi Jian was on fire. She didn’t give the actress a single chance to speak. Her steps remained graceful, but she moved quickly toward the dressing room.
Woohoo!
The actress: “……”
...
Shi Jian changed into the performance costume quickly. Maybe the earlier wardrobe issues weren’t her fault at all but the supervisor scapegoat’s. There were still several spare costumes.
She now wore a pure white chiffon dress with a matching ribbon tied in her hair. She stood center stage under the spotlight, watched by a sea of dark silhouettes in the audience.
Her hands trembled slightly—with excitement.
This was exactly the feeling she wanted!
Right back to her roots.
After a whole day, Shi Jian had already memorized all the lines for the performance. She looked completely at home on stage, full of infectious energy, poised and confident.
She pulled everyone into the drama with her emotions—audience members unconsciously followed her lead.
Shi Jian was thoroughly enjoying herself. Though she’d tested the waters earlier at Qingshan High, that stage wasn’t nearly as professional—how could it compare to a real one like this?
Earlier, some audience members had been murmuring, “Why did they switch the performer?”
Now, they just wanted to applaud. “What an amazing replacement!”
When Shi Jian acted out the moment her hand was pricked by a rose thorn, she pushed the theater’s atmosphere to its peak.
She remembered what the theater fanatic had said—he wanted a spray of blood when someone got pricked. Shi Jian didn’t skimp on the blood packs.
She delivered a full-on blood-spraying effect. A spray? She went straight for a geyser!
Though this style of stage performance might not match real-world tastes, the audience in this simulation absolutely loved it.
“Wow! A blood geyser! Incredible!”
“So tragic, so moving... sob sob... this new actress is amazing—this is exactly the kind of scene I imagined!”A theater fan burst into tears on the spot.
“Can I give flowers to the lead actress?”
“Shi Jian, you were born to act—our whole family supports you!” This came from someone who had seen the reporter's article on "Tomorrow's Star" Shi Jian and came specifically for her.
Shi Jian remained perfectly composed in such a moment. She thanked everyone for their support and promised to bring them even better performances.
The theater roared with thunderous applause and cheers, so loud it felt like they might blow the roof off.
Shi Jian was surrounded by flowers, and livestream viewers were flooding the screen with gifts. The comment section was full of “666”.
This was just too awesome!
The supervisor was also visibly emotional. He looked like he was tearing up as he wiped the corner of his eye and rushed up onto the stage.
“Xiao Shi, thank you so much for saving the show. Our big boss is here too.”
Shi Jian, holding the bouquet, looked toward the theater's boss who followed behind the supervisor. The boss expressed his love for her performance and then told Shi Jian:
“From now on, Miss Shi will be our theater’s lead actress.”
This was all within Shi Jian’s expectations. If not her, who else?
“What about me?”
That question came from the actress—she stood there in utter shock, completely dumbfounded.
Shi Jian told her sincerely, “Looks like you've been fired.”
The actress: “……”
That morning, it was Shi Jian who faced a firing threat. Now, she had transformed into the theater’s star. And the one getting fired—was the actress.
...
【An assistant who doesn’t want to be an actress isn’t a good streamer?】
【I humbly present my kneecaps to the streamer. Had she planned to replace the actress ever since they practiced lines together?】
【Honestly, it's true—tiptoeing around under someone else's thumb never compares to taking your fate into your own hands.】
【Shi Jian: three steps from assistant to theater star—memorize lines in the morning, take audience feedback at noon, do interviews and perform in the afternoon. Have you learned it yet?】
【She’s too damn good.】
Shi Jian wore a smile radiant enough to destroy countless rolls of film. Everything she wanted, she had achieved—being the star really suited her.
Shi Jian had thought she’d have to stay in the simulation for a full 24 hours, but to her surprise, the cheering and admiring faces around her suddenly froze in place.
She once again felt the familiar dizziness of leaving a simulation, and the sweet mechanical voice rang out.
“Congratulations to the streamer for winning the PK.”
“300,000 points have been credited to your account.”
Shi Jian felt like the second voice was heavenly music.
She won? And the 300,000 points were real?!Shi Jian had felt a bit of regret—she hadn’t enjoyed the stage enough. But with danger in the simulation and 300,000 points already credited to her account, that sliver of regret instantly faded. The corners of her lips lifted.
Sudden windfall.
...
At the same time, in another hotel room at the transfer station, a male streamer also snapped out of dizziness and returned to reality. However, his system prompt was—
“Streamer PK failed.”
“300,000 points have been deducted from your account.”
“Damn it! What the hell was that?!” he started cursing the moment he opened his mouth.