Our Entire Family Has Secrets [Transmigrated] - Chapter 37
After entering the office, Tang Ge closed the door and poured a glass of water for Qin Rui.
He glanced at Yuan Bozhu and asked,
“Do you want some?”
His tone was dismissive and slightly disdainful, and he walked towards the desk, clearly not intending to actually serve Yuan Bozhu.
Yuan Bozhu glanced at him but did not respond.
His attention was focused on the office area outside the glass door.
Although he sensed something was off, he wasn’t sure what the exact issue was.
Was it a problem with the interview, or was there a larger issue with the whole company?
What could be the purpose of singling out Qin Rui from the group?
A few minutes later, Yuan Bozhu realized that while there was indeed a problem, it wasn’t with the Sitongxing Media Company itself.
Sitongxing Media Company was, in fact, a legitimate company.
Qin Rui should have been eliminated in the initial screening.
It was Brother Tang, the agent, who had carefully selected Qin Rui.
It wasn’t because Qin Rui was outstanding, but because Tang Ge had learned about Qin Rui’s family background.
Knowing that signing this young master would be a sure profit, he had chosen him.
Tang Ge had lied.
During the second round of interviews, everyone else was approved, but only Qin Rui was called out early.
Tang Ge had kept Qin Rui back under his own name, intending to sign him to an artist contract and keep him on board.
Even if Qin Rui’s qualifications were average, money could still make things happen.
These details weren’t just Yuan Bozhu’s speculations; they were revealed during a heated conversation between Tang Ge and Qin Rui.
The two had ended up arguing.
Qin Rui, hands on his hips, had pointed at Tang Ge and said, “I’m not even happy to join this crappy class.
Who cares about a tiny company like this?”
Tang Ge had furiously revealed everything to Qin Rui, saying, “If it weren’t for your background and the chance to create a wealthy second-generation image, do you really think anyone would care about you?!”
Yuan Bozhu had been observing the situation outside and hadn’t realized how their conversation had escalated into a mutual exposure of flaws.
It wasn’t until Qin Rui approached him, put his arm around his shoulder, and said, “Don’t be angry, don’t bother with him.
Let’s go,” that Yuan Bozhu was confused.
Why was Qin Rui comforting him?
“You’re young but have quite a temper! Am I wrong in what I said?”
“Hmm! If I ignore you, you still get more worked up, huh? Fine, let’s debate this! Didn’t you just call him ‘four-eyes’? You kept provoking him, and when he ignored you, you said he was deaf? Is this the kind of quality your lousy company has?”
After another round of arguing, Yuan Bozhu finally understood the whole story.
Shortly after they entered the office, Qin Rui seemed to realize what was wrong with the interview and started asking Tang Ge why he had chosen him.
Tang Ge, clearly unwilling to reveal his true intentions, started flattering Qin Rui excessively.
Unfortunately, the more he flattered, the more indifferent Qin Rui became, still finding it strange that he was the only one chosen out of dozens.
Desperate, Tang Ge suddenly compared Qin Rui to Yuan Bozhu, saying that standing next to his friend made Qin Rui look like he was from a different world.
He claimed that despite Yuan Bozhu’s height, he lacked the presence of Qin Rui, and though Yuan Bozhu wore glasses, he wasn’t as smart as Qin Rui.
Tang Ge thought he was praising Qin Rui effectively by belittling Yuan Bozhu, but this only made Qin Rui’s eyes widen in anger.
To Qin Rui, Yuan Bozhu was there as his companion and friend, and he felt that comparing him to his friend was a provocation.
Without considering Tang Ge’s intentions, Qin Rui began to retort sharply.
Tang Ge, caught off guard, mistook Qin Rui’s reaction for typical behavior from an arrogant, spoiled rich kid.
He thought that by flattering Qin Rui more, he could persuade him to sign the contract, which was essentially a binding agreement.
To his surprise, Qin Rui, who had seemed easily fooled just moments earlier, exploded in anger at the comparison to Yuan Bozhu and questioned whether Tang Ge was out of his mind. This led to an argument.
Yuan Bozhu, observing silently, was taken aback to find himself becoming the center of attention.
He patted Qin Rui on the shoulder and said, “Let’s go,” before Qin Rui could say more. They needed to leave before the “people” outside made any noise.
Qin Rui shot Tang Ge a fierce glare, then turned and followed Yuan Bozhu out.
Tang Ge, feeling frustrated and embarrassed, followed them out of the office.
“I’m going to report this to the higher-ups and file your information. It’ll be tough for you to get into this industry in the future, just so you know,” he said, trying to sound threatening, but his demeanor betrayed his unease.
Qin Rui spat and said, “Who cares!” and was about to leave.
Yuan Bozhu stopped him. “Wait.”
At that moment, the people outside the glass door looked up. As Tang Ge walked a few steps away, their gazes followed him.
At the door, Tang Ge discovered that the door was locked. He turned to his colleagues and asked, “What’s going on? Is the door broken?”
No one answered him.
After a few seconds, Tang Ge, who had been so confident, now walked back with a stiff neck and almost mechanical movements. Sweat dripped off him as he passed by them.
Tang Ge grabbed the two of them and brought them back into the office, then locked the door behind them, looking defeated. He went to the window and opened it for ventilation.
Yuan Bozhu glanced at him and guessed that Tang Ge had finally realized something was wrong.
“Sit here for a moment,” Tang Ge said, pulling out his phone and preparing to call the police. However, there was no signal.
Qin Rui looked at Tang Ge, then outside, and finally leaned in to ask Yuan Bozhu, “Have you noticed something? I don’t get it. What’s happening?”
Suddenly, the group of silent “colleagues” outside the glass door stood up in unison, moving towards them. Each step was stiff and slow, but their goal was clear.
Tang Ge nearly fell off his chair in fright. “Oh my God…”
“What’s going on?!” Qin Rui urgently demanded, running to Tang Ge.
“I don’t know, I don’t know! I went to open the door and found it wouldn’t open. I turned around to find someone… and then I saw…”
“What did you see?”
“When they turned to look at me, only their necks moved. Their bodies… stayed completely still!”
Tang Ge shuddered at the memory. “Can you imagine? They turned 180 degrees to look at me!”
“No way! Is this place haunted or something?”
“I don’t know, I really don’t… We need to call the police…”
Suddenly, there was a loud bang, followed by a series of clicking sounds.
Several people had already reached the glass door, and with no more room to move, they pressed their entire bodies against it. They continued to advance, their bodies scraping against the glass with an eerie sound.
The hand holding the phone trembled slightly.
Moments ago, Qin Rui and Tang Ge had been arguing, but now, after exchanging a glance, they suddenly embraced each other tightly.
“You brought me here, so you’re responsible!” Qin Rui exclaimed.
“I’ve never seen anything like this either!” Tang Ge replied.
Yuan Bozhu, however, remained calm. Standing closest to the glass door, he slowly scanned the “people” outside and began to piece together the situation. He turned to Tang Ge and asked, “Didn’t you notice anything unusual today at work?”
Tang Ge was already slapping himself. He felt like he was in a dream.
“No, nothing unusual! All these people are just artist assistants and operational staff. They clock in on time and work quietly—except for one intern whose apple I accidentally took today without her even noticing, and during lunch, I had some snail noodles in the office and they didn’t even complain about me behind my back!”
Qin Rui cursed loudly, “This is seriously bizarre! You didn’t notice anything wrong?”
“Where are the people who passed the interview?” Yuan Bozhu asked.
“They’re upstairs, upstairs!” Tang Ge answered.
He had completely forgotten his earlier praise of Yuan Bozhu’s aura and intelligence. Now, he only saw Yuan Bozhu’s calm demeanor as the only source of safety, answering questions obediently, and even adding, “The people who passed this interview are not under my purview. The company hired a very capable expert for unified training!”
Yuan Bozhu frowned.
He looked back at Qin Rui and asked a question that left them puzzled, “Why didn’t Qin Rui pass?”
Qin Rui, tearfully, said, “Thanks for standing up for me now, but that’s not the issue, right?”
Yuan Bozhu ignored him and looked at Tang Ge.
Tang Ge immediately responded, “Honestly, I don’t know! I don’t know any of the people who conducted the interviews. I heard they’re experts in reading bones and faces, capable of spotting a child’s potential at a glance! They kept the ones they thought had potential and rejected the rest—oh, I remember now! Qin Rui was special!”
“Special how?” Both Yuan Bozhu and Qin Rui asked simultaneously.
Tang Ge explained, “Our scouts recruited students without knowing their exact ages. It wasn’t until the forms were filled out that we realized Qin Rui was already over eighteen. They said that once someone turns eighteen, they’re no longer considered.”
Qin Rui exclaimed, “You actually have age discrimination!”
Tang Ge protested, “It’s not my rule!”
They remained locked in their embrace, even as their argument continued.
Meanwhile, Yuan Bozhu’s expression grew grim.
His first thought was of Satan’s mention of checking the bloodline awakening status across major universities.
But Yuan Bozhu knew that Satan would not use such a method—this approach would attract too few students and have a limited reach.
This method was cumbersome and counterproductive.
Satan was looking for one specific person. This company, on the other hand, seemed eager to accept anyone who might be rare, wanting to keep them regardless.
But why keep them?
Yuan Bozhu moved to the door and suddenly grasped the doorknob. The two people behind him screamed, “Don’t go out! We don’t know if it’s ghosts or something else!”
“Yuan Bozhu, come back!”
Yuan Bozhu paused but then actually withdrew his hand. He moved aside, pressed the privacy curtain, and blocked the unusual sight outside the glass door. Then he approached the door again and said, “Don’t go out.”
Yuan Bozhu could not yet determine who had created these paper figures. At least three people, including Satan, were capable of making such paper puppets.
There are two methods of creating paper figures: one is to materialize objects from nothing using one’s own power, which Satan excels at. The other is to use spirit symbols to transform living objects into puppets under one’s control. The strength of the paper figures depends on the host they are attached to.
These office workers, who spent their days in a paid job, clearly lacked strong offensive capabilities.
But since they had no sense of pain, they were usually very persistent; even if you cut off their heads, they could still move.
Moreover, the master of the paper figures could possess any one of them, causing confusion among their targets.
Yuan Bozhu needed to deal with these entities before they were discovered.
To avoid causing too much disturbance with his own power, he restrained himself from using magic.
He gently restrained a few paper figures that tried to attack him, being careful not to accidentally tear them apart.
Yuan Bozhu grasped firmly at the hearts of the paper figures, tearing out a piece of bloodstained spirit symbol from each.
The spirit symbols carried the energy field of rare abilities. If an ordinary person attempted this, they would be severely injured if not killed.
Yuan Bozhu didn’t escape entirely unscathed—his fingers felt like they were pricked by needles for a brief moment.
The people from whom the spirit symbols were removed experienced a return of sensation, with their breathing and heartbeat resuming. However, their consciousness remained in a daze, clutching their chests and writhing on the ground like they were dreaming.
At first, it was straightforward to deal with the initial group.
However, suddenly when tearing at one of the paper figures, it opened its eyes wide, revealing a face with non-human features, and it grabbed Yuan Bozhu’s hand, kicking him with force.
Yuan Bozhu sidestepped the attack. He realized that the master of the paper figures had possessed one of them.
The possessor had probably not expected to encounter a survivor among the dozens of puppets, now carefully watching Yuan Bozhu from among the figures.
With blood dripping from his hand, Yuan Bozhu stood expressionless, exuding a cold, intimidating aura.
The scene fell into a tense silence.
Apart from the pained groans of the people on the floor, no other sounds were heard.
“Lich,” Yuan Bozhu murmured.
The ability to create paper figures was limited to certain rare species, and liches were particularly skilled at it.
Given the large number of paper figures, it was likely that they were behind this.
Perhaps having been guessed, the lich grew anxious, and the bodies of the paper figures floated up like balloons.
In moments, they circled Yuan Bozhu.
One of them was poised to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.
Yuan Bozhu had no interest in engaging in a prolonged struggle.
He quickly performed a fire spell.
Flames erupted from his fingertips.
He waved his hand, sending fiery sparks accurately towards the hearts of each paper figure.
The paper figures felt no pain, but their master did. As expected, the next second, a pained scream was heard.
The so-called Three Flames True Fire was unlike ordinary flames.
It could not be extinguished by water, blown out by wind, and only grew fiercer the more it was obstructed. The tiny sparks, through repeated flickering, suddenly changed and began to burn with a fierce intensity.
Despite the intensity, Yuan Bozhu was quite restrained. The bodies of the paper figures were mere innocent bystanders, and he could not burn them to ashes. His goal was to force the lich out.
Once the lich was driven out, Yuan Bozhu extinguished the flames. He watched the dark smoke and said calmly, “Leave this place.”
Yuan Bozhu had almost pieced together the current situation—this lich who could create puppets had, at some point, taken over the Sitongxing Media Company, using the so-called interviews to attract potentially rare youths. The exact purpose was unclear but certainly malevolent.
The lich’s spirit could possess the power and consciousness of the lich but could not speak; otherwise, it might have issued some harsh threats to Yuan Bozhu. Unfortunately, no threats would matter against a clearly dominant opponent.
Yuan Bozhu’s fiery fingertips caused the lich’s spirit to swiftly flee. Meanwhile, the spirit symbols on the paper figures all vanished. Yuan Bozhu confirmed that the people were still alive.
He withdrew his gaze, stood up, and headed towards the locked office.
In the underground sea city of the Spider Domain, Satan seemed very pleased with Yuan Wanjiao’s visit. He not only called for a few guests but also brought out a bottle of wine he had treasured for a long time.
Yuan Wanjiao was a rare pureblood witch of the lich tribe, and her potential was immense. Satan had always hoped to regard her as a bearer of divine messages, although Yuan Wanjiao did not appreciate this.
“Recently, I’ve noticed some liches I haven’t seen before appearing in Qiancheng City. What are they up to?” Yuan Wanjiao took the wine glass offered by Satan, her gaze coldly fixed on him.
“Said liches are your kin. How would I know what they are doing?” Satan replied with a graceful smile.
Male liches have no reproductive capability, so over the years, liches have typically mixed with humans, producing half-blood liches.
For purebloods like Yuan Wanjiao, whose parents are powerful liches, such individuals are rare, appearing only once in several hundred years.
Ordinary liches lack the ability to communicate with spirits and cannot perform prophetic actions. Their sixth sense is just slightly stronger than that of ordinary humans, allowing them to make some vague predictions about the future, but they are not very accurate and survive in human society through deception and showmanship.
Yuan Wanjiao had little regard for these same kin.
“If you’re going to play games with me, I’ll leave,” she said, setting down her wine glass and standing up.
Satan sighed behind her. “You know, liches with impure bloodlines lack the ability to communicate with spirits, and their energy cores are as small as pine nuts. For their rituals, they need to supplement their energy.”
“… Rituals?” Yuan Wanjiao’s expression changed slightly.
“Yes.”
Satan didn’t beat around the bush and spoke directly, “Once I find the divine bird clan, I will proceed with the revival ritual as planned.”
“The divine bird clan’s bloodline has been extinct for many years.”
“But your prophecy indicates that faith is reviving.”
Yuan Wanjiao fell silent for a moment, her expression unusual. She changed the subject and asked, “What does this have to do with other liches?”
“The abilities of liches are unique. Having more helpers would benefit you,” Satan said nonchalantly.
“So you just let them steal the energy cores of newly awakened children?!”
“I’m very busy every day and can’t manage everything.”
Yuan Wanjiao narrowed her eyes, suddenly striding up to Satan and slamming her hand on the table with a bang.
“Satan, I don’t want to be part of your madness any longer. I… want to withdraw from your plan.”
During the tense silence that followed, the guests at the long table dared not breathe.
Yuan Wanjiao and Satan stared at each other in silence.
After a long pause, Satan began to laugh.
Yuan Wanjiao took a cautious step back. However, Satan responded with unexpected ease, saying, “Alright, then you can leave.”
But he then lowered his voice and added slowly:
“Just leave your lich spirit behind.”
When Yuan Bozhu entered the office, he considered how to explain everything that had happened to those inside.
If he hadn’t used his magic, he could have simply claimed that he was just stronger. But since he had employed the Three Flames True Fire, he could only hope that Qin Rui and the agent hadn’t been watching.
Click.
The moment he opened the door, Yuan Bozhu raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise.
He rarely looked so astonished.
Inside, Qin Rui and Yuan Bozhu exchanged silent glances. Qin Rui held a vase, and the agent was unconscious on the floor.
Seeing Yuan Bozhu enter, Qin Rui suddenly burst into tears without any warning.
Before Yuan Bozhu could ask anything, Qin Rui, in a state of utter despair, explained:
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you had superpowers?! I caught a glimpse just now and almost couldn’t control my expression!!”
“You know, if you had told me earlier, I could have helped you cover it up! Superpowers aren’t something you can just show to anyone! Damn it! This guy tried to sneak a look, and I thought, why let you see?! I hadn’t even seen it clearly myself! I knocked him down immediately…”
“What now? What should we do? I’m not going to kill anyone, am I?! Can your superpowers make us fly? Let’s run!”
Yuan Bozhu rubbed his forehead.
Although he was discovered by Qin Rui, which should have been troublesome, he couldn’t help but feel a strange urge to laugh.