Chapter 173: Overcoming Fear

The next day, when Mo Fei was eating breakfast with the freshly written story in hand, he had dark circles under his eyes.

Lü Chunqiu was sitting across from him, drinking soy milk and reading the news. Catching sight of his appearance, she asked with a raised eyebrow, "Did you go out thieving last night?"

Mo Fei shook his head. "A person should have a clear conscience throughout their life, yet I am plagued by fears that robbed me of sleep."

"Speak human."

"Writing ghost stories scared myself, and I stayed awake all night." Mo Fei yawned. "Sis, do me a favor and get me a string of Buddhist prayer beads."

"Don't you already have a heavenly bead talisman on you? That thing wards off evil too."

Lü Chunqiu had no idea why such a healthy young man would be so terrified of ghosts, but it wasn't a major issue anyway.

Mo Fei touched the back of his neck. "That's what they say, but I'm not sure that single piece will hold the line."

He decided he would eventually wear a combination of protective charms, Buddhist beads, and crucifixes. Since sincerity probably wouldn't do much for him in this department, he would simply have to rely on quantity.

"Do you think these things are like ordinary accessories you can stack by the armful? You have to stick to one kind, otherwise they conflict with each other." Lü Chunqiu put down her cup and checked the time. "Is the story finished? Shall I drop you off at Qian's place?"

Seeing how drowsy Mo Fei looked, she added, "Take a nap in the car."

Mo Fei nodded in agreement.

Little Qian's studio was still located in the same suburb. The last time they visited, the rooms had been cluttered with bizarre sculptures, but this time many of them had been cleared away, giving the place a minimalist and elegant look.

At a glance, one could tell this was not Little Qian's personal style.

Lü Chunqiu curiously swept her gaze across the interior decoration.

Even though she wasn't particularly knowledgeable about interior design, she could tell that the items here were likely not cheap.

The grass-like sofa leaning against the inner wall was something she had seen online—it cost a low six-figure sum.

Mo Fei hadn't slept enough in the car and lacked energy, so he sat directly across from Little Qian and asked, "What do you think?"

He had stayed up all night to finish writing the story and sent it to Little Qian immediately. Once Little Qian gave it the final green light, they would refine the story into a proper script.

Mo Fei's posture seemed a bit impolite, but fortunately, Little Qian didn't mind.

Wearing a cartoon one-piece pajama and sporting hair as messy as a bird's nest, Little Qian wasn't exactly dressed for hosting guests either.

"I've read the story. It's fantastic," Little Qian praised from the bottom of his heart. "It's brilliant!"

If this story managed to pass the censorship boards, he would write his surname backward.

"Brother Mo, you're too awesome." Little Qian asked with hopeful eyes, "Are you going to star in this one again?"

Mo Fei, still fighting off sleepiness, instantly snapped awake. "No, no, I can't handle this one."

This story featured genuine, unadulterated haunting—no mental illness, no hallucinations, no human pranksters, and no inexplicable drugs. He couldn't touch this with a ten-foot pole.

Little Qian's enthusiasm deflated instantly. "You're not doing it?"

Lü Chunqiu watched from the side and chuckled. "Xiao Fei is scared of ghosts; he can't act in this."

Mo Fei nodded along vigorously.

Foreign horror films featured flying limbs and splattering gore—those didn't scare him.

However, traditional haunting was all-pervasive and insidious, sending a chill deep into one's bones and making one feel like they were scaring themselves. It made his skin crawl.

Little Qian pondered for a long while. "Brother Mo, do you have any upcoming schedules?"

"None."

"Then you should still act in it." Little Qian felt he got along harmoniously with Mo Fei and wanted a friend to accompany him through the grueling production. "Being scared doesn't matter, you can play the ghost!"

Both Lü Chunqiu and Mo Fei were stunned.

Little Qian flipped through the document on his screen. "The story says that when the ghost appears, it wears a blue robe and has its hair draped over its face so it can't be seen. It doesn't matter whether a man or a woman plays the part; you don't mind not showing your face, right?"

"Not showing my face, I don't mind..." Mo Fei thought about it and realized that if he played the ghost, he wouldn't be scared anymore.

The best way to conquer fear was to become the fear itself.

The worst-case scenario was simply avoiding mirrors for a while.

Lü Chunqiu hadn't read the complete story yet; she only knew it was a horror ghost film.

Now, hearing them discuss it so seriously, she didn't say much more.

Once the business talk concluded, Mo Fei's head began to bob up and down again, looking utterly exhausted.

"Why don't you sleep here for a bit, and we can grab lunch together later?" Little Qian suggested. "I also need to discuss some matters with Sister Lü."

Mo Fei looked at Lü Chunqiu to ask for her opinion.

He personally didn't care; he could sleep comfortably anywhere without ever getting homesick.

Lü Chunqiu knew Little Qian wanted to discuss the contract with her, so she nodded. "Then you get some rest."

"There's a lounge on the second floor..."

Before Little Qian could finish his sentence, he saw Mo Fei dive headfirst into the grass-like sofa, close his eyes, and instantly drift off into a baby-like slumber.

Little Qian was momentarily speechless.

Lü Chunqiu waved a hand dismissively. "Don't mind him. This kid can sleep anywhere."

Every time he fell asleep, he looked as lifeless as a corpse, but the moment someone called his name, he would wake up instantly—making him exceptionally well-suited for rushing through film sets.

Knowing Mo Fei was fine, Little Qian stopped worrying, pulled out the contract they had signed previously, and began negotiating compensation adjustments with Lü Chunqiu.

Logically speaking, since Mo Fei played the lead role last time and would be taking a supporting role this time, his pay should be lower than before.

However, now that Mo Fei had gained some fame, his salary warranted an increase.

Lü Chunqiu's philosophy was that since she intended to maintain a long-term partnership with Little Qian, there was no need to nitpick over minor details; personal rapport was far more useful than money.

Little Qian hesitated for a moment over the salary field and filled in a figure.

It was indeed much lower than his previous pay, but it was still a standard rate for a supporting role.

Lü Chunqiu looked over the contract, saw no issues, and signed it.

Little Qian let out a sigh of relief and began calling people to prepare for the shoot.

Having accumulated experience from the last film, he was no longer walking in total darkness.

This time, whenever he could hire industry professionals for the job, he didn't bother his classmates.

A graduation project was only the beginning, and they wouldn't have much free time afterward anyway.

He also sent a copy of the script to Madam Qian.

Madam Qian faced immense pressure as the production manager, but her efficiency was remarkably high.

If they filmed it quickly and failed to pass censorship all the sooner, his mother would finally give up after a few more attempts.

Little Qian's vision was wonderfully optimistic.

When Madam Qian read the story, she first frowned, but as she read further down, her brow relaxed.

The subject matter of this story was quite sensitive, but its saving grace was its smooth logic.

The female ghost's backstory also aligned well with classical horror.

Why did female ghosts and child ghosts appear most frequently in ghost stories? Because everyone knew these two groups were the most deeply wronged, making people terrified of their vengeance.

Moreover, the retribution suffered by those who drank the water from the pond where the female ghost's corpse lay added another chilling layer that made one think deeply.

Overall, the story had no flaws; it was simply that the theme was prone to strict regulatory restrictions.

Madam Qian pondered how to help it pass censorship.

She had promised Little Qian not to interfere with the script, which meant the plot could not be altered—she could only work on the details.

Little Qian had no idea that his own mother was already preparing to thwart his failing plan, and he enthusiastically invited Lü Chunqiu and Mo Fei to a hotpot meal.

He ordered exclusively meat dishes, adding two plates of vegetables only out of consideration for the lady present.

Consequently, Lü Chunqiu spent the meal watching two young men gorge themselves in silence.

With appetites like that, growing boys really could eat you out of house and home.