Chapter 9: Theres a Ghost

I’m Really Scared

After Jiang Siyang and Li Zhiying left, a still-shaken Peng Fei called Guan Shan into his office and earnestly scolded him.

The content was mainly about how he shouldn't have been so impulsive today and shouldn't gamble with his future.

Guan Shan was recruited by Peng Fei, and Peng Fei genuinely appreciated and supported Guan Shan, which Guan Shan fully understood.

Although today's incident didn't actually involve impulsiveness on Guan Shan's part and he was quite confident about it, Peng Fei didn't know that Guan Shan had the photos.

Guan Shan could only respond perfunctorily.

Seeing Guan Shan's indifferent attitude, Peng Fei earnestly patted his shoulder and said, "I know you young people have your own ideas, but circumstances are stronger than people. Today, you may have vented, but what about afterward?"

"Jiang Siyang is still the deputy editor-in-chief, still your superior. You can deal with his troublemaking once, but can you handle it a hundred times, a thousand times?"

"Not to mention afterward, but in the current situation, how do you plan to handle it?"

Peng Fei's face was serious, "You have one day. Where are you going to get the photos? Underhanded methods won't work. If you're caught, it's career suicide."

Guan Shan's lips twitched, "Do I look like someone who would do that?"

Peng Fei scrutinized him, disappointedly shaking his head, "I wish you were that kind of person... otherwise, why would you go head-to-head with Jiang Siyang?"

"Please spare me."

Guan Shan smiled wryly, "Honestly, I have a friend who happened to be nearby during the fire and took a photo of the scene. She sent it to me this morning."

He simply showed Peng Fei the photo on his phone, shrugging, "I was planning to upload it to the article library, but who knew I’d be blocked by Director Jiang as soon as I arrived."

"This..."

Peng Fei was stunned, dumbfounded.

He took the phone, examining it closely. With his years of experience, he confirmed that the photo was indeed not photoshopped!

And the angle was perfect, capturing the fire at its most intense, with the flames illuminating the shaking sign.

"Your friend... has quite a knack for photography."

After a long pause, Peng Fei managed to squeeze out this sentence, handing the phone back to Guan Shan, unable to resist giving him a thumbs-up.

"You’re impressive. You were baiting him with this photo!"

His eyes were filled with admiration, "I really thought you were straightforward, but it turns out you know how to fish too."

Guan Shan spread his hands, "I can't be blamed for that. You saw it, Director Jiang didn't give me a chance to speak."

"Alright, alright."

Peng Fei waved him off, "I was worried about you, planning to recommend you to try out at the TV station. Now, I'm worried Jiang Siyang might die of anger instead."

He returned to his usual amiable self, instructing, "Do a good job on this special edition! The president wants to put Jiang Siyang in his place. You're probably her top pioneer right now. Don’t waste this opportunity."

"Understood."

Guan Shan closed the door to the director's office.

Next door was Jiang Siyang's office. This guy was still leisurely making tea, looking calm and unperturbed.

Guan Shan shook his head, amused, and turned back to the news department.

As soon as he sat down, a message popped up on his phone.

[Daphne]: Xiao Shan, how are things? Are you okay?

He glanced over and, sure enough, saw a little head sneakily peeking in his direction.

[Guan Shan]: There's something big going on!

As Guan Shan replied seriously, he opened his computer and sent the photo to Li Zhiying's QQ account.

Usually quick to respond during work, Li Zhiying took a while to receive the photo and then asked about its origin.

Guan Shan used the same excuse to brush it off.

[Ruixiang]: What happened? Is it that serious? Did Director Peng scold you? Or is it that you really don't have the photo... If it comes to that, I'll ask my dad to pull some strings.

Guan Shan glanced over to see Shen Dinghua staring at her phone, her face tense and worried.

[Shanwai Qingshan]: None of those. I'm just hungry.

[Ruixiang]: ψ(*｀ー)ψ You bad person!

Guan Shan was chatting happily.

Liu Ping, sitting in front, couldn't hold back any longer. He moved his chair back, craning his neck to whisper, "Hey, what did the director say? You're amazing, brother. If I could scold that stubborn man face-to-face like you did, it would be worth quitting!"

"But seriously, weren't you a bit impulsive? Where are you going to find photos in a day..."

Liu Ping had joined the company with Guan Shan, and they often interacted, so they had a good relationship.

When he spoke, everyone around, though seemingly focused on their work, was actually eavesdropping.

After all, as journalists, they were naturally curious.

Seeing that this usually chatty guy was about to start rambling, Guan Shan said, exasperated, "The director didn't say anything. Get back to work. I’ve already got the photos."

Liu Ping was stunned and quickly asked, "Really? No way... You just sat down. Where did you get the photos... Hey, don’t ignore me, tell me what's going on!"

But no matter how much Liu Ping pried, Guan Shan ignored him, focusing on discussing the fire safety special edition with Li Zhiying on QQ.

Liu Ping, with his burning curiosity, was nearly driven mad.

But it was work time, and he couldn't slack off too blatantly, so he had to turn back to his work with a belly full of questions.

Others who overheard naturally didn't believe it.

Dai Yi, in the back row, sneered inwardly, convinced that Guan Shan was making a desperate final stand.

All for a bit of face, pretending to be calm, ha.

They had joined the company together, yet Guan Shan was especially valued by Peng Fei. But Dai Yi always thought he was far superior to Guan Shan.

It’s just because he always stayed late to impress the bosses! He couldn’t wait for Guan Shan to get fired, so his own talents could shine.

"But... tomorrow, we probably won't see him, right? Haha, serves him right for daring to confront his boss, throwing away his job like an idiot!"

"If he actually gets the photos, I'll take his surname!"

Dai Yi thought maliciously, coughing to hide his smirk.

All day, everyone in the office secretly watched to see what Guan Shan would do.

After all, everyone was curious about the fate of the brave man who dared to face the dragon.

But Guan Shan didn't run around or type furiously.

He didn't even furrow his brow.

He worked as usual, ate with Shen Dinghua, and worked some more.

No sense of urgency at all! He even had an extra bowl of rice!

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When it was time to clock out, Jiang Siyang, having heard all day about Guan Shan doing nothing, smugly walked into the office. Seeing Guan Shan packing up, he immediately smiled, "Isn't this our all-powerful Reporter Guan? Are you preparing to leave? Why pack your own things? Can't you see? Come help him!"

Since they had already clashed, Jiang Siyang no longer pretended, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Guan Shan remained calm, "Yes, I'm preparing to leave. I have no tasks today, so I thought I'd go home early."

Everyone else felt a mix of emotions. Usually, Guan Shan was never without work. Was he really resigning? The hero ultimately couldn’t defeat the dragon.

Jiang Siyang felt a surge of satisfaction.

Dai Yi, behind him, eagerly ran over, pretending to help Guan Shan pack, sighing, "We’ve only worked together for half a year, but I didn’t expect you to leave. I’ll really miss you..."

"Hey, no need to touch that. I’ll still need it tomorrow."

Guan Shan stopped Dai Yi from touching his files, looking puzzled, "I’m just clocking out, not leaving. What are you talking about?"

Dai Yi was stunned, and Jiang Siyang was too.

The latter immediately sneered, "You made a promise to the president. If you don’t get the photos today, you'll resign! Are you going back on your word?"

Guan Shan shrugged, "Of course not. So, I sent the photos to the president this morning."

"What?!"

Everyone was dumbfounded. Jiang Siyang didn't believe it, shouting, "Where are the photos?! Don’t think you can just say that and get away with it!"

"Wait for the fire safety edition. You can review it then if you have time. Now, I need to clock out."

"Oh, the president is so nice. Seeing how hard I work, she allowed me to finish early today when assigning the fire safety edition task."

Guan Shan sincerely sighed and patted Dai Yi's shoulder, "Thank you for helping me pack."

Guan Shan left gracefully.

Dai Yi stood there awkwardly, feeling dizzy at the thought that he had seriously helped Guan Shan pack. He muttered, "I’m going now," and fled.

Jiang Siyang, who had been basking in the thought of Guan Shan resigning, was now utterly humiliated.

This morning! This morning!

While he was savoring his victory, it was all over! Guan Shan had been waiting for him to come and humiliate himself. And he walked right into it, feeling proud after being slapped twice.

"Guan! Shan!"

Jiang Siyang roared internally, storming out in anger.

He swore he wouldn't rest until Guan Shan couldn't work in the press anymore!

Furious, Jiang Siyang stomped out of the news department. Just as he was stewing in his anger, he felt something trip him.

"Ah!"

Jiang Siyang yelped, falling flat on his face. His chin smashed into the marble floor with a thud.

He had been gritting his teeth in anger, and the impact knocked out his front teeth, sending them flying.

The excruciating pain, combined with the intense vibration, felt like steel needles piercing his toes, making him roll his eyes, tears streaming down as he lay sprawled, screaming in agony.

"Owwww—"

The scene was so pitiful that even fangirls would exclaim, "So sweet, Jiang and the floor are such a cute couple~"

Hearing the commotion, employees rushed over to help him up, "Director Jiang, are you okay?"

Jiang Siyang, drenched in cold sweat from the pain, trembled, stuttering, "H-Hospital, get me to the hospital..."

He still managed to curse, "Get someone to fix this damned floor tomorrow. What the hell tripped me?!"

The employee was baffled, "But the floor is even... see, no bumps."

Jiang Siyang was furious, pointing to the floor, "It’s right there...!"

He suddenly froze.

The floor was indeed smooth, but in his view was a pair of women's feet.

Red high heels, slender ankles, skin so pale it was almost translucent, veins visible.

Looking up, he saw a woman in white clothes.

Jiang Siyang felt a chill, his scalp tingling, "Who are you?"

The woman didn't speak, staring at him.

The employee was puzzled, "Who? Director Jiang, it’s me, Xiao Wang from the editing department... Let’s get you to the hospital."

He thought to himself, this fall must’ve given Director Jiang a concussion. He’s talking nonsense now.

Not only would he need to see a dentist, but a neurologist too.

Jiang Siyang felt a chill down his spine, pulling the employee, trembling as he pointed at the woman, "There! Can't you see her? Don’t joke with me!"

Xiao Wang was dumbfounded. To him, there was no one there, just a slightly dim corridor.

But Jiang Siyang's words made the usually familiar corridor seem eerie and terrifying.

He gulped, "D-Don’t scare me. There's really no one here!"

Jiang Siyang panicked, "There! Right there! You see her, right?!"

Xiao Wang was about to cry, "No! There’s no one!"

The woman in white started moving, slowly approaching Jiang Siyang, reaching out as if to grab him.

Jiang Siyang screamed, "Stay back! Don’t come closer!"

Xiao Wang felt his blood run cold. Whether Jiang Siyang had hit his head or seen a ghost, he grabbed him and tried to pull him back.

But Jiang Siyang's legs were weak, and the heavy fall earlier made it impossible for him to stand.

He clung to Xiao Wang’s clothes like a drowning man clutching at straws, making it impossible for Xiao Wang to move.

As they struggled, Jiang Siyang saw the woman's hand getting closer, her face pale with pitch-black eyes and a sinister smile.

He desperately tried to back away but couldn't.

Jiang Siyang put all his hope on Xiao Wang.

But even now, the employee seemed unable to see the woman, only focusing on pulling Jiang Siyang.

Finally, as the fingers reached him, Jiang Siyang broke down completely.

"Ah— Ah— Ghost! There’s a ghost! Help!"

Jiang Siyang screamed in terror, flailing wildly. With his front teeth knocked out, he couldn't control his facial expressions, tears and saliva streaming down, nearly crawling to retreat.

"Hehe, give up. No one else can see me."

The woman blinked, stood up, and kicked Jiang Siyang's leg.

The sensation was identical to what tripped him earlier!

Jiang Siyang couldn't take the shock, blacking out on the spot.