Chapter 57: Mystery of the Ancient Castle

Chapter 57: The Mystery of the Ancient Castle

Chu Yan got wind of Fu Hongan's scandal, but what struck him most was sheer shock.

After all, Fu Hongan was the male lead in a romance novel—shouldn't he at least stay pure for the male lead?

Fu Hongan was supposed to be the sweet, doting CEO trope; he had to be deeply affectionate, utterly devoted... His heart and body should belong solely to the protagonist.

Yet not only did Fu Hongan hire male models, but it was also a shocking threesome. Even if he was drugged and set up, the only one who should have ended up with him was Chu Xiuyi!

Had the world gone mad, or was Chu Yan just being narrow-minded?

Either way, the male lead was now tainted—freshly and thoroughly.

Chu Yan couldn’t help but wonder: Could the main CP even survive this? Would Chu Xiuyi still want a Fu Hongan like this?

At the very least, Fu Hongan probably wouldn’t have time to harass him now. Forget the trouble at Fu Corporation—just dealing with Chu Xiuyi would be a nightmare.

The irony. They were even planning to show off their relationship on a dating show.

How fitting—right after sleeping with three male models, he’d go on to put on a lovey-dovey act.

Even if Chu Xiuyi could stomach it, the audience certainly wouldn’t. Who could enjoy candy laced with sugar-coated shit?

Bless the mastermind behind this!

Chu Yan thought this anonymous schemer was practically a saint.

Fu Hongan’s male model scandal stayed fresh on the hot search for three whole days. Fu Corporation’s PR and legal teams might as well have been dead—until *Love and Romance* finally aired, barely easing the storm.

Meanwhile, after days of feasting on drama, Chu Yan finally began filming the second episode of *Rebirth Challenge*.

The first episode’s theme was *Countryside Life*, but the second took a complete 180—*The Mystery of the Ancient Castle*.

Honestly, *Rebirth*'s director was a genius, and its writers were even more brilliant. Their creativity was unpredictable, their ideas boundless—just like this episode’s eerie, gothic horror twist.

The first episode was rural farming, complete with mucking stalls and fertilizing fields. The second? A murder mystery game set in an ancient castle—thrilling, suspenseful, and packed with intrigue.

All six guests were actors, making this a perfect fit. The excitement was palpable.

"The director never disappoints!"

Zhou Yun and Fu Zeyu’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, and Chu Yan was itching to start.

"Hurry up, hurry up! I can’t wait any longer."

The director grinned at the guests’ enthusiasm. He *knew* they’d love it.

Filming took place in a film studio, where the crew had selected a European Gothic-style building to match the gothic theme. The castle’s eerie aura was perfect.

Coincidentally, the rival dating show wasn’t just airing on the same day—it was also filming in the same studio.

No one believed that was an accident.

They were clearly trying to piggyback on *Rebirth*'s success—irritating but inevitable.

To help the guests immerse themselves, the crew had sent out scripts a day early.

Each actor pored over their scripts, preparing to fully embody their characters. Once the game began, they’d no longer be celebrities—they’d speak, act, and think as their assigned characters.

In fact, the actors were even more excited than the audience.

Finally, all livestream channels went live. Viewers flocked to their favorite guests’ streams or the main broadcast. Many fans from the first episode gathered in groups, each opening a different guest’s stream to watch from multiple angles.

The moment the streams started, the eerie, mysterious castle backdrop blew viewers away. The jump from pastoral life to gothic horror was *huge*—and viewers were instantly hooked.

Then, the guests made their entrances, each dressed in lavish costumes fitting their roles.

"Come on, come on! We can’t wait—start the show already!"

As the main episode began, the crew kindly suggested that watching the main stream would enhance the experience.

Many fans switched over, though most still preferred multi-angle viewing.

First to appear was Fu Zeyu, dressed in ornate European aristocratic garb. His long robe bore an ornate, unfamiliar crest, and a sword hung at his waist. Tight trousers paired with tall leather boots completed the look—his innate noble demeanor made him the perfect fit for the role.

He lifted his chin imperiously, his eyes dripping with aristocratic haughtiness.

The stream displayed his identity: Andra. Zeyu, eldest son of Count Andra.

He was Count Andra’s son by his first wife—and the heir to the Andra estate.

"Young Master, you’ve arrived."

A butler in a tailcoat approached respectfully.

The second character introduced was Li Wenzhang, the butler of Andra Castle.

Fu Zeyu acknowledged with a disdainful grunt before sitting down to sip his coffee.

Next, Zhou Yun strode in, clad in dazzling, ostentatious noble finery.

His outfit resembled Fu Zeyu’s but was far more flamboyant—befitting a spoiled fop. He even wore a ridiculously elaborate golden wig.

White stockings showcased his shapely calves, adorned with lace. Matching white gloves, also lace-trimmed, completed the look.

This was Andra. Yun, Count Andra’s youngest son.

Count Andra’s most beloved child, pampered and spoiled rotten, he grew up insufferably arrogant and completely idle.

"Young Master."

Butler Li greeted him respectfully, but Andra. Yun merely favored him with a contemptuous look, radiating disdain.

"Where are the others? How dare they keep *me* waiting? Such nerve."

Honestly, Chu Yan thought Zhou Yun looked like a ridiculous dandy.

He wanted to laugh—but had to hold it in.

The guests fought to keep straight faces, but the audience had no such restraint.

The chat flooded with "LOLs"—Zhou Yun’s performance was campy as hell. Still, no one could deny both young masters’ looks could pull off even these outrageous costumes.

A flicker of disdain flashed in the butler’s eyes, quickly masked by false obsequiousness.

Then, a woman in an extravagant, hoop-skirted gown entered. Her corset laced her waist to wasp-like proportions, and her broad-brimmed hat failed to obscure her features—she held her nose in the air.

This was the current Countess Xu Meng.

Her every move was alluring and enchanting, yet no one noticed that her gaze first landed on the butler standing nearby.

The two young masters scoffed in unison, looking at their father's current wife with eyes full of disdain and contempt.

"Whoa, the dynamics here look complicated! I'm even more excited now!"

As the Countess had just taken her seat, a figure abruptly entered everyone's line of sight—his attire far more modest.

The man was tall and slender, with strikingly beautiful features, though he kept his head slightly bowed as he quietly sat in an inconspicuous corner.

Unsurprisingly, the butler showed him no particular respect, merely nodding slightly in acknowledgment. The two young masters glared at him with disgust, while Countess Xu Meng clenched her teeth, her eyes brimming with jealousy and hatred.

The livestream introduced him as Count Andra's lover, Lu Zhaoyang.

"Holy crap, the production team really knows how to stir up drama! They're not giving Lu Zhaoyang any breathing room!"

"A lover? Isn't that just a homewrecker? And not just any homewrecker—one who's openly sharing the same space as the legal wife!"

"The production team is really pushing it."

"Damn, are we sure the production team isn't deliberately trying to cause drama? They're gonna get Lu Zhaoyang killed at this rate. Three seconds of sympathy for him."

...

Gotta say, the production team is ruthless, and Lu Zhaoyang truly has guts.

In the first episode, he was already dragged into a new wave of online bullying over that issue—labels like "the other man" and "mistress" seemed permanently glued to his face. Everyone expected him to cowardly withdraw, especially since he fled in disgrace at the end of the first episode and endured days of relentless bashing on trending topics without a word. Yet who could've guessed he'd dare to return for the second episode, only to be thrown to the wolves like this?

Just... ballsy.

The Countess, the Count's lover, and the Count's two sons were now gathered together, though none of them seemed to be on good terms.

"Countess, young masters, Count Dracula's youngest son has arrived!"

The butler suddenly announced with deference. The next second, a slender figure stepped into view.

Dracula Yan.

The boy's silvery hair accentuated his already pale complexion, giving him an almost moonlit frosty pallor. His frail frame was draped in an oversized cloak, making him appear even more sickly thin.

An overwhelming aura of delicate and pitiable vulnerability radiated from him.

He looked as if a mere gust of wind could knock him over. His slender, pale fingers peeked out from the billowing sleeves, prominent veins on the back of his hands—long and delicate, yet unnaturally white.

And his eyes—they were breathtakingly beautiful. Like a fawn accidentally stumbling into a predators' den, they held innocence, wide-eyed innocence, crystal clear clarity, and panic all at once. His gaze was so purely maddeningly enchanting.

The livestream audience immediately erupted into chaos.

"OMG, my precious!!! That's unmistakably my precious!"

"Anyone who dares hurt him will have to answer to me!"

"This is literally a beautiful boy who wandered straight into hell—I'm a fan now, I'm a fan now!"

...

A heart-stoppingly beautiful boy, one who could ignite everyone's protective instincts in seconds, whose mere glance could drive people wild.

Not just the audience—even the on-site guests and crew members were momentarily stunned upon seeing Chu Yan. It was impossible not to be mesmerized.

Dracula Yan hailed from Dracula Castle, the youngest son of Count Dracula and the only outsider present today.

Finally, once everyone had arrived, the Count NPC stepped forward with a smile.

His gaze lingered on Chu Yan, the last to arrive.

"Excellent, excellent. Truly worthy of being the future son-in-law I've chosen."

Chu Yan gave a slight nod.

"Greetings, Lord Count."

Fu Zeyu and Zhou Yun also rose and bowed respectfully. "Father."

Xu Meng, meanwhile, swayed over with seductive steps and looped her arm through the Count's, though the two looked less like a married couple and more like father and daughter.

The Count chuckled and patted her hand, but his gaze drifted past her to Lu Zhaoyang, standing in the corner.

Who he loved and who he didn't couldn't have been more obvious.

These were all the participants in this round of the murder mystery game.

With everyone assembled, the Count cheerfully announced that a grand engagement banquet would be held the next day for his eldest son, Andra Zeyu, and Dracula Yan—the very reason they had all gathered at Andra Castle tonight.

For now, the early arrivals would spend the night in the castle.

The butler had already arranged accommodations for the guests, and after dinner, everyone retired to their respective rooms.

In the blink of an eye, the livestream screen showed that it was already the next day.

Early in the morning, a scream suddenly erupted from the Count's room, followed by the butler's panicked shouts—the silence of the castle was shattered.

One by one, closed doors swung open as the guests rushed toward the source of the commotion, only to be met with a horrifying sight.

The Count lay in a large pool of blood on the floor of his room, eyes wide open, a kitchen knife embedded in his chest. The vast expanse of blood on the floor had already darkened to a dried brown.

The Count was dead—murdered in his own room, his eyes wide open in death, staring emptily into the void.

And everyone who had stayed in the castle last night was now a suspect.

The Count's eldest son, Fu Zeyu; his second son, Zhou Yun; the Countess, Xu Meng; the Count's lover, Lu Zhaoyang; the Count's personal butler, Li Wenzhang; and Chu Yan, who was to be engaged to the eldest son.

The director stepped forward to announce the rules of this murder mystery game.

The six suspects would need to gather evidence to identify the killer within one day, then vote to determine the culprit.

If the vote succeeded, everyone except the killer would earn corresponding points—one point convertible to 10,000 votes. The exposed killer, however, would lose 100,000 votes.

If the vote failed—meaning the wrong person was accused—the real killer would earn 100,000 votes, while the other participants would each lose 30,000 votes.

Each episode featured audience voting, with final rankings determined by total votes—this was the main rules.

Thus, catching the killer was crucial.

The rules were simple; the real challenge lay in the process.

Based on the first episode's voting results, the top-ranked Fu Zeyu would receive a special advantage: during the final vote, he could cast two votes.

Of course, the extra vote could be used on the same person, a different person, or he could abstain.

As for Lu Zhaoyang, who ranked last, his penalty is that during the game, he must fulfill any request made by the other guests without refusal.

The livestream chat is already hyped!

"OMG so hyped for this!"

"The guests' makeup and costumes are so stunning, and their intros were so creative. Everyone is totally in character!"

"Y'all are killing it! Every guest's performance is amazing!"

"I gotta call my friends to watch this—ahhh!"