That gloomy, viscous feeling only disappeared after they turned the corner.
Su Fan’s tense nerves finally relaxed a little. He took a deep breath, unable to suppress a curse in his heart.
“Just going out for a walk and you run into this. So much for freedom, America.”
Such an obvious summoning ritual could actually succeed.
This would be absolutely impossible in China, where religious activities are strictly controlled.
But unfortunately, Su Fan was now in the land of religious freedom, America, where any cult, no matter how monstrous, could grow unchecked.
That child, whose gender was indistinguishable, had clearly been used as a temporary vessel for some evil presence.
When nothing was happening, it seemed normal, but the entity inside could take over the body at any time.
The bright sunshine did nothing to lessen the chill “it” had instilled in Su Fan.
It was almost noon, the time when the day’s Yang energy was about to reach its peak.
An ordinary malevolent spirit, even if possessing someone, wouldn’t dare to move about freely like that.
But whatever was on that child showed no fear of it at all.
This was the first time Su Fan had encountered such a fierce evil entity; the likes of Mary Shaw or Freddy were nothing in comparison.
“Su?”
Jamie, walking beside him, noticed Su Fan had been quiet for a while. He turned and saw Su Fan frowning deeply.
“Is something wrong?”
“Indeed. You shouldn’t come to this neighborhood anymore,” Su Fan said directly.
“You mean there’s something evil here?”
Su Fan didn’t speak, just nodded.
Jamie wisely didn’t press for details.
This was the first time he’d seen Su look so grave. Before, even when trapped in the lakefront theater, Su had seemed confident.
From that moment on, that neighborhood became an absolute forbidden zone in Jamie’s mind.
“Do I need to head back now?” Jamie asked hesitantly.
He thought that perhaps Su Fan hadn’t acted upon discovering the entity because he, Jamie, would have been in the way.
“It’s fine,” Su Fan waved a hand dismissively. “It doesn’t have the ability to harm people yet.”
It was a ticking bomb, but currently still in a latent stage. Until he was stronger, Su Fan had no intention of confronting it head-on.
“Let’s go.”
Because Su Fan’s tone was as calm as ever, and combined with Jamie’s blind confidence in him, Jamie quickly put the incident out of his mind.
His thought process could be roughly summarized as:
This seems serious → But Su is here, so it should be okay → If Su handles it, even if there’s a problem, it won’t be a problem.
Unlike Jamie, who didn’t grasp the severity of the situation, Su Fan’s mood wasn’t so light.
A simple Evil-Warding Talisman isn’t enough anymore.
I need to study talismans more when I get back. This time, I must master the Five Thunders Talisman…
Thunder magic is supremely Yang and rigid, most effective against evil entities.
With more money, I can try to acquire some things. I wonder if I can buy lightning-struck wood…
And a sword… I need to prepare as soon as possible…
While Su Fan was lost in his thoughts, Jamie assumed he was pondering something else.
“Speaking of which, Su, aren’t you having dinner with Miss Annie tonight? How about getting a car?” Jamie’s face broke into a meaningful smile when he mentioned Annie.
Su Fan didn’t notice, just shook his head instinctively.
Los Angeles, where Hollywood was located, was developed, sure, and the roads were wide, but there were just too many cars. The traffic jams were deadly.
If a road was damaged and under repair, you could be stuck without moving for a whole morning.
Compared to all the running around lately, staying inside the shop, never setting foot out, was Su Fan’s real daily life.
Buying a car would just mean letting it gather dust.
But Jamie wouldn’t hear any of it.
“That’s exactly what I thought before I bought a car, until I got my first set of wheels.”
“A car holds special significance for a man. When you grip the steering wheel, you feel like there’s nowhere in the world you can’t go.”
“Trust me, buy a car. You won’t regret it.”
“Don’t you want to make a grand entrance for your date with Annie tonight?”
Hearing this, Su Fan felt like he was seeing a new side of Jamie.
With such persuasive talk, it was a shame he wasn’t working as a car salesman.
Then, the guy started enthusiastically introducing several of the hottest car models recently.
Su Fan didn’t commit to an opinion, he just smiled. There were plenty of wealthy people here in Hollywood; the money he had currently was nothing special. Buying a car to show off wouldn’t get him anything truly high-end anyway. It would just make him seem like those nouveau riche from his past life who bought 8848 phones to prove their upper-class status—all flash, no substance, and rather foolish.
Besides, it was Annie who had invited him to dinner.
This did, however, serve as a reminder to Su Fan. He realized he had never really bought any proper formal wear. The only suit he owned was a small one bought for his graduation dance years ago, and… oh right, he’d forgotten about the one he wore to Old Man Su’s funeral…
“Oh… looks like your movie star is all prepared,” Jamie said, coming over at that moment and showing an address on his phone.
———–
“The restaurant booked for this occasion is quite upscale; they won’t let paparazzi in easily,” Rachel said. “It’s also on a high floor, so there’s practically no chance of being photographed from below.”
Annie wasn’t really listening to a word Rachel was saying. She seemed restless and anxious, repeatedly checking her appearance in the mirror.
Seeing this through the rearview mirror, Rachel, who was driving, tried to reassure her. “Relax, I’ve read up on this. Your makeup and outfit are flawless.”
“Wait a minute,” Annie interjected, “you never told me how you know so much about what East Asian men prefer.”
“Well… actually, I had a Chinese boyfriend once,” Rachel admitted.
“I never knew about that…”
“It’s fine if you didn’t. Right now, you should be focusing on how to make a lasting impression on him tonight,” Rachel said, steering the wheel. “Someone like Su Fan certainly doesn’t lack money or status. You know what having both those things means, don’t you? Strike while the iron is hot. Seize this chance to build a good relationship. If anything similar happens in the future, it would be easier to ask for his help.”
“But…” Annie started, then hesitated, her expression uncertain.
But what, but! You’re going to lose all initiative like this!
Seeing this, Rachel couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. When Annie started acting uncharacteristically hesitant, Rachel knew she had developed different feelings for Su Fan. Rachel had initially thought Annie’s nervousness was just due to not being used to the shift from being the pursuer to the pursued, and that her usual confident, charismatic self would return after a short while.
But reality proved Rachel’s thinking too optimistic. This wasn’t just a minor crush; Annie seemed like a completely changed person. What on earth happened in that dream to affect her like this? Was it the suspension bridge effect? But could the suspension bridge effect really be this strong?
