Shazhou City.
The setting sun slowly sank toward the horizon like a fully cooked, salted egg yolk.
In front of the Mogao Caves scenic area.
"Hello, viewers and friends, and welcome back to Composing China's Rivers and Mountains, a musical variety show hosted by CCTV. I am your host, Zhu Shi."
She raised a hand to gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind her cheek, a smile blooming on her face.
On her upper body, she wore a white, cross-collar narrow-sleeved blouse, while the lower half featured a voluminous, flowing pale-yellow long skirt that brushed against her ankles.
She turned back to face the camera and continued her introduction: "Behind me lie the Dunhuang Mogao Caves, also known as the Dunhuang Grottoes. The Dunhuang Grottoes resemble a brilliant pearl embedded between the long river of history and the vast expanse of the desert. Stepping into the Dunhuang Grottoes is like walking into an art palace that spans a thousand years. The murals inside the caves are a feast for both the eyes and the soul. Every mural is like a window opening onto the ancient world, using delicate brushstrokes and brilliant colors to recount the stories of the past. Among these murals, the Buddha statues are solemn and majestic, their faces filled with compassion and serenity, as if they can pierce through the dust of time to offer peace and solace. Whether standing or sitting, within the play of light and shadow on the walls, they appear like beings descended from the Pure Land into the mortal world, radiating a sacred brilliance. Now, please follow the camera as we go to experience this beauty and wisdom that transcends a millennium."
Wearing a silver-gray vest and a black baseball cap, the on-site director sat in his chair, watching the monitor feed before him.
As the host finished her opening monologue, the camera slowly pushed forward.
The footage beneath the horizontal gimbal remained completely steady, guiding viewers through the scenery as if through a first-person perspective.
Right at that moment.
A man wearing an assistant director's badge around his neck hurried over to the director's side.
Neither fat nor thin, standing about one meter six tall, he leaned in slightly and spoke urgently into the director's ear: "Director Zhang, we've got a problem! One of the guests had an emergency and won't make it to this live broadcast!"
The director had been narrowing his eyes to appreciate the scenery on screen, but upon hearing those words, his eyes snapped wide open and he turned to glare at the assistant director.
"What did you say?! An emergency and he can't make the live broadcast?! Are you fucking kidding me?!"
With a bitter smile, the assistant director glanced at the surrounding staff members, whose expressions were full of curiosity, and lowered his voice: "It's Du Hui. He was caught red-handed in a hotel room with a woman by her husband, and the guy took pictures..."
Du Hui??
In a hotel room with a woman??
And caught red-handed by her husband??
And pictures were taken??
What kind of nonsense is this?!
A barrage of question marks filled the on-site director's mind, though he quickly recovered. "Wait, no. Wasn't he staying at the hotel booked by the production team? How did he..."
He left the rest unsaid. Looking at the assistant director's face, which seemed on the verge of tears, he understood.
This bastard Du Hui actually pulled this stunt right in the hotel booked by the show!
"The woman's husband also said... also said..."
"Spit it out, what did he say?!"
"He said he's going to sue our production team right along with him..."
The director: ???
Nothing he could say now would fix it, however. The crucial problem was that this was the premiere of Composing China's Rivers and Mountains!
An accident on the very first broadcast was nothing short of a catastrophe for a show.
A recorded show would have been fine—they could adjust in time—but the problem was this wasn't pre-recorded!
All the guests had been confirmed two months ago. With an emergency happening right now, where on earth were they supposed to find a substitute guest?
What made it even more critical was that this show was unlike other music programs; the guests had to compose and perform original songs based on historical sites!
Even if they could find a substitute, which guest would actually be willing to come?
These guests had known the route map of the show two months in advance. Composing songs wasn't too difficult for them, but if a new guest were suddenly thrown into the mix, only a fool would agree to step in.
There was no elimination system on the show, but with time so tight, if the quality of the song fell short, wouldn't they just be walking onto the stage to get chewed out?
"Can we find a replacement guest?"
The director understood the reality of the situation all too well. Everything else could wait; the one thing that could not be delayed was the guest lineup!
Hearing this, the assistant director wore a look of utter helplessness. "Even if a guest is willing to come, the travel time alone..."
The director also felt the situation was virtually unsolvable.
Just as the assistant director had said, even if a guest was willing to travel here, how were they supposed to manage the journey? They were on the verge of starting the main event, and there was simply no time left—unless they picked a guest right here on the spot...
At this thought, the on-site director abruptly stood up from his chair and swept his gaze over the surrounding crowd. Most of them were just members of the crew.
In front of a white van, he spotted a swaying figure stepping down from the vehicle.
"Who is that person?"
Following the director's gaze, the assistant director spotted the swaying young man and explained, "That's the arranger Du Hui brought along. I think his name is... right, Xu An."
"Xu An?"
The on-site director repeated the name, though it didn't ring any bells for him.
Seeing this, the assistant director hurriedly explained, "This Xu An just graduated from the Beijing Conservatory of Music. I heard he's quite talented, which is why Du Hui invited him along."
There were five guests in total, and practically every guest brought along lyricists and composers to handle any unexpected situations on site.
Xu An was the one Du Hui had brought.
What Du Hui hadn't anticipated, however, was that a truly special situation would arise—specifically, getting caught in bed with someone else's wife.
From a distance, the on-site director looked Xu An up and down. Both his physique and appearance had strong star potential. Gritting his teeth, he made his decision.
"Go tell Xu An he's stepping in as this episode's guest!"
Upon hearing this, the assistant director was stunned for a moment, looking incredulously at the dead-serious director. "Are you sure you want him?"
The director glared at him. "If I don't use him, am I supposed to use you? Why don't you go find me a singer right now!"
"Uh... never mind, let's go with Xu An then. I'll go talk to him right now..."
With that, the assistant director turned and sprinted toward Xu An.
Only then did the on-site director let out a long sigh of relief. He didn't care how well Xu An could sing; he just needed someone to keep the show running smoothly so they could swap guests for the second episode.
Meanwhile, Xu An—the very person the director was talking about—was still in a complete daze.
Leaning against a nearby table, he lowered his head slightly to study the wood grain on the surface, his mind struggling to process everything.
Am I... crossing over into another world???
And it wasn't just a matter of crossing over; deep within his mind, fragments of the original owner's soul still lingered!
Original Owner: I suppose I'm dead?
Xu An: Beats me.
Original Owner: It seems I won't be able to fulfill this regret after all. I implore you to finish it for me.
Xu An: Huh? I had regrets over on my side too, you know. Why don't you head over there and finish mine instead?
His remark received no reply. Instead, he was met with a cascade of memory fragments.
Each fragment displayed the image of a man and a woman.
The most dazzling fragment of all showed a brief chat log.
Yan Luomeng: There's a new food stall open by the fire lane downstairs in our apartment building. Anyone want to go grab a bite?
Xu An: No, they're holding a funeral.
Yan Luomeng: Sorry, sorry, I had no idea. Whose place is it?
Xu An: Mine.