The theme of Tyson's issue this time was "Raising a Ghost." The story background was modern: a male ghost who died unjustly seeks to possess a suitable living person in order to get close to and torment his enemy.
But finding a living person suitable for possession was not easy. As everyone knew, living people had three fires on their bodies. Only by extinguishing these three fires could a ghost harm them, and that was just the external requirement.
[The three fires: the three symbolic spiritual fires of a living person's vital energy (Yang Qi), traditionally believed to reside on the head and both shoulders, which act as a protective aura against ghosts.]
Besides, the human body itself was a sturdy fortress. As long as the body remained unbreached, it maintained strong defenses against ghosts and supernatural entities, making it difficult to invade.
However, there are some people in this world who are innately weak in spiritual defenses and often perceive things beyond ordinary sight.
These people are born at Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, and Yin hour—destined with the Lone Star of Heaven's Calamity, making them inherently vulnerable and perceived as "great nourishment" for malevolent spirits.
[阴年阴月阴日阴时 (yīn nián yīn yuè yīn rì yīn shí): lit. Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, Yin hour; fig. a birth date and time considered to be entirely composed of the passive, dark, and feminine Yin energy in Chinese cosmology, often associated with supernatural sensitivity or misfortune.]
[天煞孤星 (tiān shà gū xīng): lit. the Lone Star of Heaven's Calamity; fig. a person whose fate brings calamity to those around them, destined for solitude; often considered an unlucky or cursed destiny]
That male ghost who died unjustly had extremely good luck—he found a man born at Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, and Yin hour—destined with the Lone Star of Heaven's Calamity.
To get his revenge, the male ghost decided to possess this man. But just as he prepared to enter the man's body, he was repelled by a golden light!
It turned out the man's family also knew about his unfavorable fate, so they had early on sought a protective spiritual talisman for him. It was precisely because of this talisman that the man had managed to live safely until now.
Since force didn't work, the male ghost had to try persuasion, wearing down the man with endless pleas to let him in.
The male ghost swore to the man that he would only use the body for a little while, just a little while, just long enough to get his revenge before leaving.
But the man had been deceived by ghostly lies countless times before, so how could he believe him? And so the two remained locked in a stalemate.
As time passed, the male ghost became a permanent resident in the man's home, present everywhere during meals, work, showers, and sleep, constantly offering commentary on everything.
The man complained incessantly at first, but gradually grew accustomed to it.
This was mainly because the male ghost possessed such intense sinister energy that he belonged to the ghost king level. Wherever he went, other lesser ghosts dared not come near. For the first time in his life, the man experienced true peace—though the male ghost's constant chattering could sometimes feel as noisy as dozens of ghosts, at least this ghost was far more pleasant to look at than the other random spirits and monsters.
After the male ghost entered the man's life, everyone the man had previously considered stunningly beautiful now seemed to pale in comparison.
The male ghost gradually integrated into the man's life. The words "revenge," once frequently on the male ghost's lips, gradually faded away.
The term "prolonged time breeds affection" perfectly explained their current situation.
"...Finally, the man agreed to let the male ghost possess him. The male ghost also promised him that after getting his revenge, he would let go of his hatred, accompany the man for the rest of his life, and only then go to the underworld for reincarnation." Just as Toner reached this point, he suddenly changed tack. "However, after the male ghost possessed the man and achieved his revenge, he found that, with his resentment and vengeful energy dispersed, his soul actually began to scatter as well."
It turned out that ever since he became a vengeful spirit due to hatred, his soul had been permanently tied to the word "revenge."
Losing his hatred was equivalent to losing his soul.
In other words, the moment his great revenge was accomplished and his resentment dissipated, his soul's complete scattering became imminent.
To allow the male ghost to survive, the man, in that critical moment, stuffed him into his own body, preventing the male ghost's soul from dispersing.
An extremely Yin constitution served as the most potent nourishment for ghosts. Thus, to enable the male ghost's continued existence in the world, the man sustained him within his own body.
Using a living person's body to raise a ghost from the underworld.
Hence the name "Raising a Ghost."
Putting aside everything else, this was actually a warm love story about a romance between a human and a ghost.
What Tyson wanted the models to portray was the interaction between the man and the male ghost, the friction and interplay sparking romantic flames.
The first set of photos for the shoot needed to be completed on a sofa. Toner had Yin Chengjue, wearing a simple and austerely styled black suit, sit casually on the sofa.
He had Rong Yu, wearing the vengeful ghost's specially designed blood-red gauze clothing, sit on the back of the sofa behind Yin Chengjue.
Red was a magical color, especially when worn by someone with fair skin, creating a consistently stunning impression.
Rong Yu's makeup enhanced this effect further, with crimson eyeshadow extending upward from the outer corners of his eyes, giving him an exceptionally enchanting and alluring appearance.
Yin Chengjue sat on the sofa as he normally would, casually crossing his legs, leaning back, and resting one arm on the back of the sofa.
Rong Yu walked behind the sofa, reached out with his arms—pale against the red—and hugged Yin Chengjue from behind, resting his chin on Yin Chengjue's shoulder.
Toner had originally intended to direct them into the pre-arranged poses, but upon seeing this scene, his eyes instantly lit up. "Yes! This is perfect! Hold it! Don't move!"
After Toner finished shooting the scene, Rong Yu moved his stiff hands and instinctively glanced toward Yin Chengjue—just as Yin Chengjue turned his head, their eyes met.
"Click!" Toner captured the moment perfectly.
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