After surviving my ordeal, I learned that the school beauty had given birth to twins for me.

Chapter 176 What happened at the TV station today?

The lights in the lounge were off, and the heavy curtains were drawn tightly, with only a faint ray of daylight filtering in from the window, barely illuminating a corner of the room.

A man stood in the middle of the room with his back to her, wearing a large black hoodie, his figure so thin that he looked as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

His left hand was raised in front of his chest, and his right hand held a sharp silver fruit knife with the tip pointing directly at his wrist.

"Tick-tock... Tick-tock..."

Bright red blood beads slid down his wrist, one drop at a time, precisely landing on the object he was holding in his palm.

Jiang Xinlan's pupils contracted slightly.

It was a palm-sized black wooden carving depicting a small demon with a blue face and fangs. Its hair was made of black silk thread, and its eyes were two scarlet beads that glowed with an eerie red light in the dim light.

The blood fell onto the wood carving and was instantly absorbed, leaving not a trace.

As the blood seeped in, the wood carving darkened in color, emanating a strong stench of blood and a nauseating, chilling aura.

The man lowered his head, muttering to himself in a hoarse and distorted voice, as if he were reciting some kind of obscure incantation.

His wrists were covered with dense, layered old scars, clearly the result of long-term self-harm.

Hearing the door open, the man turned around abruptly.

It's Su Mu.

The moment he saw Jiang Xinlan, his eyes widened in shock and panic, and the fruit knife in his hand clattered to the ground.

"You...you stay away...go away! Go away!!"

He shouted incoherently, hurriedly stuffing the wooden carving in his hand into his pocket, and desperately wiping the blood off his hands with his sleeve, but the wound on his wrist continued to bleed, staining his cuffs and front of his shirt red.

Jiang Xinlan stood at the door, without moving.

She channeled her spiritual energy to block the oncoming malevolent aura, her face showing no fear, only a slight furrow in her brow as she calmly looked at him:

"I've come to the wrong room. But aren't you afraid of a backlash from feeding this evil thing with your own lifeblood?"

Her voice was soft, yet it struck Su Mu's heart like a hammer.

Su Mu's face turned deathly pale instantly. He staggered back a step and bumped into the dressing table behind him, scattering bottles and jars all over the floor with a clattering sound.

"You... what nonsense are you talking about!"

His voice trembled, his eyes darting away, avoiding Jiang Xinlan's gaze. "I don't understand what you're saying! Get out of here! This is my lounge!"

As he spoke, he frantically kicked the fruit knife on the ground, trying to hide it.

Seeing his panicked expression, Jiang Xinlan already knew the answer. She didn't press further, but simply said:

"Evil magic is evil magic after all. What you gain through such means will eventually have to be paid back tenfold. You'd better watch yourself."

After saying that, she gently closed the door.

The moment the door closed, she heard hurried footsteps inside, followed by the sound of a window being pushed open. Su Mu had clearly climbed out the window and fled in a panic.

Jiang Xinlan stood at the door, looking at the tightly closed door with a somewhat solemn expression.

"Xinlan!" Lin Wan's voice came from the other end of the corridor. She ran over and saw Jiang Xinlan standing at the door. She asked in confusion,

"Why are you standing here? I've been waiting for you in 102 for ages, I thought you were lost."

"We went to the wrong room." Jiang Xinlan turned around and pulled Lin Wan towards the lounge. "I saw Su Mu just now."

"Su Mu?" Lin Wan's eyes lit up. "He's at the party too? I've never met him before! What's he like? Is he exceptionally talented?"

Jiang Xinlan shook her head and told Lin Wan everything she had seen in the lounge.

Lin Wan's smile vanished instantly. She stood there, stunned, her eyes wide, unable to believe her ears.

"You mean... he's feeding that ghostly wooden sculpture with his own blood?"

"Mm." Jiang Xinlan nodded, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty.

"That wooden carving is extremely sinister, with a very heavy yin energy emanating from it. His sudden surge in popularity is probably inseparable from this."

Lin Wan swayed and had to lean against the wall to steady herself.

It's a shame she used to like Su Mu so much, thinking he was very inspiring and demonstrated through his actions what it means for hard work to eventually be recognized.

Now they're telling her that Su Mu fed the ghost wood carving with blood?

It turns out it wasn't an inspirational comeback at all.

It turns out that his overnight fame was earned with his own blood, sweat, and soul.

"How could this happen..." Lin Wan's voice choked with emotion. "He's so talented, he could have become famous through his own abilities, why did he have to take this path?"

Jiang Xinlan gently patted her back, comforting her, "She's probably been driven to a dead end. But evil magic is ultimately an evil path; it won't take you far."

Suddenly, a terrible thought flashed through her mind.

Jiang Xinlan stopped in her tracks, looked up at Lin Wan, her eyes serious:

"Lin Wan, you seem to have said before that Lu Xingci and Su Mu are not only former teammates, but also have a deep conflict. After Lu Xingci became popular, he has been suppressing Su Mu."

Most importantly, Lu Xingci also suddenly became famous overnight, could it be that...?

Lin Wan's body froze instantly.

The two stared at each other, both seeing shock and chill in each other's eyes.

Lu Xingci's unexpected death...

Was it really an accident?

The corridor was bustling with people and filled with laughter, but Jiang Xinlan and Lin Wan felt a chill run through their bodies.

They all knew that this matter was definitely not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

I got home around 10 p.m.

Shen Yu had already taken the children back and coaxed them to sleep.

Hearing the door open, he came out of his study, took the bag from Jiang Xinlan's hand, and put his arm around her waist: "You're back? Are you tired?"

"It's alright." Jiang Xinlan leaned against him, smelling his familiar scent, and her tense nerves finally relaxed after a long day.

Shen Yu looked down at her, his brows furrowing slightly. He reached out and grasped her wrist, his fingertips probing into her meridians with spiritual energy.

A faint, chilling aura wafted over along with the spiritual energy, carrying a faint smell of blood.

"It's been tainted by negative energy."

Shen Yu's tone turned serious. He pulled Jiang Xinlan to sit on the sofa, letting her lean against him. He placed his palm on her back and gently channeled his golden spiritual energy into her body.

The golden spiritual energy flowed like warm water along the meridians, gradually enveloping and dissolving the chilling malevolent aura.

Jiang Xinlan felt warm all over, and the faint chill she had felt earlier completely disappeared.

"alright."

Shen Yu withdrew his hand, gently tidied the stray hairs on her forehead, and lightly brushed his fingertips across her cheek.

"What happened at the TV station today?"