Of course, the one facing retribution isn’t Chu Ruochun but Jiang Qiao’s deranged mother, Zhao Lizhu.
Even though Zhao Lizhu is the sister-in-law of Qingju’s company owner, Jiang Yu’an, he had his security personnel escort her to his office.
The wounds on Jiang Yu’an’s face, scratched by Zhao Lizhu earlier, had just scabbed over, and seeing his sister-in-law worsened his mood considerably.
With disheveled hair, Zhao Lizhu rushed towards Jiang Yu’an upon seeing him: “Jiang Yu’an! Give me back my son! Give me back my son!”
Chu Ruochun came to see Fang Ming. Fang Ming’s office was on the same floor as Jiang Yu’an’s. He took a different elevator and arrived at the same time as Zhao Lizhu.
Jiang Yu’an signaled for the security personnel to take Zhao Lizhu into his office and also called his older brother, Jiang Yuping, to have her taken away.
The security personnel kept a close eye on Zhao Lizhu in the office to prevent her from causing any more trouble.
Jiang Qiao was his nephew, and he was deeply saddened by his passing. However, his sister-in-law remained relentless, causing him great distress.
“If it weren’t for you letting Xiao Qiao join your company, he wouldn’t have died, Jiang Yu’an! You’re to blame for my son’s death, along with those pretty boys you’ve been keeping! You should all die! You should all accompany my son in death!”
Unable to contain himself, Jiang Yu’an responded, “Sister-in-law, you were the one who begged me to let Xiao Qiao join the company as a trainee in the first place. I originally disagreed!”
But Zhao Lizhu, who had lost her son, paid no attention. “In any case, you’re all murderers! All of you should die! Die!”
Even though Jiang Yu’an’s office door was closed, the sharp voice of the woman could still be heard from inside.
Fang Ming led Chu Ruochun into his office.
“Are you okay? Did she hit you?”
“No, she didn’t.”
Fang Ming examined his face to make sure there were no injuries. If he had any facial injuries, it could affect tomorrow’s recording, and that was something they couldn’t afford.
Shortly after, He Jun also arrived at Fang Ming’s office. While Jiang Qiao’s situation naturally had an impact on Fang Ming, work still had to go on. There was no reason to revolve around one issue every day.
He explained the guidelines for tomorrow’s show to Chu Ruochun and He Jun.
After the meeting, Chu Ruochun and He Jun left Fang Ming’s office one after the other. Unfortunately, they ran into Zhao Lizhu again, but this time she was being supported by a middle-aged man. This man was likely Jiang Qiao’s father, Jiang Yuping. Perhaps exhausted from all the cursing, Zhao Lizhu was quietly sobbing this time.
When Zhao Lizhu saw Chu Ruochun and He Jun, she seemed inclined to rush at them again, but Jiang Yuping held her back. However, he couldn’t stop her from talking: “Those who harmed my son will all meet a bad end! Even if my son becomes a ghost, he will come for you! I know you’re jealous of his good family background, his good looks, and his talent. You poor folks, hillbillies, who lick his boots every day! Tomorrow, I’ll expose your private lives to the reporters and let your fans see how dirty, ugly, and low-class the people they admire are!”
He Jun’s face turned pale from her insults. Everyone in the company knew that he was always following Jiang Qiao around, doing whatever Jiang Qiao told him to do. It seemed like they had a close relationship, but it was more like he was trying to gain favor. Besides, his family background wasn’t particularly well-off.
“Auntie…”
“You don’t deserve to call me ‘Auntie.’ You low-class scum!”
He Jun’s face alternated between pale and red.
Zhao Lizhu’s insults became increasingly harsh, and no one could stop her.
People in the company avoided the couple, as nobody wanted to be verbally abused for no reason. Being accused of something they didn’t do and the possibility of being morally condemned was something they all wanted to avoid.
He Jun didn’t know what to do in this situation. Since becoming a trainee, he had indeed spent a lot of time with Jiang Qiao. However, he refused to accept being called a “low-class scum.” He had never done anything to hurt Jiang Qiao. But in front of Jiang Qiao’s mother, he couldn’t say a word, especially when she was so irrational and unkind.
It wasn’t until Jiang Yuping and Zhao Lizhu entered the elevator that the area finally regained its peace, and He Jun finally felt relieved.
Chu Ruochun wasn’t particularly bothered by Zhao Lizhu’s insults. He didn’t feel the need to sympathize or pay attention because she was dealing with the consequences of excessively pampering her son.
They were about to take another elevator down when they ran into Zhang Dongliang and Xiao Li from the Baihua Police Substation’s Criminal Investigation Team.
Xiao Li, with a livelier personality, greeted Chu Ruochun, “What a coincidence.”
Chu Ruochun politely replied, “Hello.”
Zhang Dongliang nodded and asked them, “Do you know where Mr. Jiang’s office is?”
Chu Ruochun directed them on the right path.
Zhang Dongliang said, “Thank you.”
As Zhang Dongliang and Xiao Li walked away, Chu Ruochun suddenly stopped Zhang Dongliang and said, “Captain Zhang, if scientific methods can’t find the cause, you might want to look into a person’s history. I believe you might find something.”
“Thank you for the suggestion, but this is a matter for our police department. You don’t need to worry about it,” Zhang Dongliang replied with a lack of interest.
In Zhang Dongliang’s eyes, Chu Ruochun was just a young person who created his own image to become famous. In terms of age, Zhang Dongliang was over ten years older than him, and in terms of life experience, Chu Ruochun was far less experienced. Zhang Dongliang didn’t see the need to engage with him further.
Chu Ruochun, seeing that Zhang Dongliang didn’t believe him, didn’t press the matter further. He entered the elevator and headed back to prepare for the upcoming TV show. These past few days, in addition to his meditation practice, he had also been researching the current state of society.
After He Jun regained his composure, he felt that Chu Ruochun needed some comfort. He said, “You shouldn’t have said those things to a police officer. They might have arrested you for being a fraud. Please don’t say such things again.”
To ensure that trainees didn’t arrive late or leave early during their training period at the company, the company provided them with dormitories. He Jun had been sharing an apartment with Jiang Qiao, but due to Jiang Qiao’s death, he had been avoiding the company dorms for the past few days.
Chu Ruochun replied, “It’s okay.”
He Jun looked down at his own feet, listening to Chu Ruochun’s words that carried no hint of mockery. He felt quite ashamed. After a moment of hesitation, he whispered, “I’m sorry, Chu Ruochun. I did some bad things to you before. I hope you can forgive me.”
Chu Ruochun raised his dark eyes and said, “I can’t forgive you. But if you genuinely apologize to me, you can recite the Seven Seven Forty-Nine Days of Amitabha Buddha’s Rebirth Mantra.”
He Jun didn’t fully understand. “Recite it for Jiang Qiao?”
Chu Ruochun shook his head. “No, recite it for me.”
In the past few days, he had likely figured out the cause of his original body’s death. It was probably due to excessive training and overexertion, leading to sudden cardiac arrest, which was the most discussed topic among internet users.
The elevator doors opened, and Chu Ruochun stepped out. He Jun followed a few beats later, still puzzled as to why someone would recite a rebirth mantra for a living person.
He Jun couldn’t quite understand the reason behind Chu Ruochun’s request. He thought Chu Ruochun was indeed eccentric. However, he did feel guilty, but reciting a mantra every day seemed excessive.
—
Zhang Dongliang and Xiao Li came to Qingju Company today to learn more about Jiang Yu’an’s situation at the company, but they didn’t gain much information.
After Jiang Qiao joined the company, he was mostly under Fang Ming’s guidance. Fang Ming had already explained Jiang Qiao’s situation as a trainee. Jiang Qiao had a domineering personality and a quick temper. Because he was the boss’s nephew, both the teachers and the trainees tried to avoid provoking him.
However, just because others didn’t provoke Jiang Qiao didn’t mean he wouldn’t pick on other people. Among those frequently bullied by him were two trainees who had already terminated their contracts and left the company. These two trainees couldn’t bear Jiang Qiao’s bullying and decided to leave. Their families were well-off, and the company considered that they were just trainees, so they readily agreed, primarily to avoid complications that might hinder Jiang Qiao’s development.
Zhang Dongliang asked Jiang Yu’an for the names and information of these two trainees before leaving Qingju Company.
During their journey to the investigation site, Xiao Li struck up a conversation with Zhang Dongliang.
“Captain Zhang, I think what Chu Ruochun said about starting from a person’s past is quite reasonable.”
Zhang Dongliang rolled his eyes and asked in return, “Aren’t we already investigating everything from Jiang Qiao’s past? I think you should spend some time at the grassroots level. Haven’t you noticed that his words are quite ambiguous? It’s just a classic scammer’s rhetoric. Have you ever had your fortune told on the streets?”
Xiao Li chuckled, “No, I know those aren’t reliable.”
Zhang Dongliang decided to give Xiao Li a lesson in political ideology.
“Even if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve seen pigs run, right? Street fortune tellers never use affirmative sentences when talking to clients. What they’re really skilled at is psychology. They observe the client’s age, clothing, speech, appearance, current emotions, and so on. With this information, they integrate it and when the client expresses the desire to have their career, love life, or family fortune told, the fortune teller can ‘predict’ what difficulties the client might have encountered recently, how their love or family relationships are, and they don’t need to be very specific. The client will automatically relate it to themselves, believing that the fortune teller is incredibly accurate. When the client answers the fortune teller’s questions, they unknowingly fall into their trap. In reality, with modern technology, these tricks can be replicated. Don’t believe me? Ask Xiao Zhou. Everyone leaves plenty of digital traces online, and with time, you can integrate this data and become a skilled fortune teller.”
Xiao Li nodded, “Captain Zhang, I got it. If I ever run out of food, I’ll become a fortune teller!”
Zhang Dongliang shook his head and said, “You guys are still too young. In the future, listen and observe more, and keep learning.”
Xiao Li enthusiastically responded, “Yes, Captain Zhang!”
In the evening, after finishing his investigation, Xiao Li brought a boxed meal and went to eat with Xiao Zhou.
Xiao Zhou was the technical expert in their criminal investigation team, despite his young age. He was highly skilled, and the two of them were close in age, often chatting together.
While eating, Xiao Li said, “Today, we went to that talent agency, right? We met that Chu Ruochun guy.”
Xiao Zhou recalled, “The one with the mysterious persona?”
Xiao Li nodded vigorously, “Yes, that’s him. He was quite impressive today. He suggested in front of Team Zhang that we should investigate the deceased’s past life traces and said we would gain something from it.”
Xiao Zhou asked, “But haven’t we been continuously investigating the people around the deceased? Focusing on events before his death?”
Xiao Li replied, “Exactly. Team Zhang even gave me a lesson and told me not to be superstitious. He even said I could become a fortune teller.”
Xiao Zhou thought for a moment, then suddenly put down his chopsticks with excitement, “Big Li, Chu Ruochun is right! We’ve all been going in the wrong direction. We’ve been at the crime scene and investigating the people around him, but we haven’t looked into his past!”
Xiao Li asked, “What? His past? Aren’t we investigating that?”
Xiao Zhou replied, “We’ve been investigating everything that happened after he became a trainee. But what about his life before becoming a trainee?”
Xiao Li slapped his thigh, saying, “Right! Xiao Zhou, you’re really smart!”
Xiao Zhou focused on the investigation while Xiao Li mumbled to himself on the side, “Well, I guess Chu Ruochun did give us some inspiration, he’s really something.”
Xiao Zhou reminded, “It’s just an idea, it doesn’t prove he’s a genius, right?”
Xiao Li agreed, “You’re right.”
–
The next day, just as the day was breaking, Chu Ruochun got into a nanny car. Fang Ming personally came to pick him up along with He Jun. Both of them hadn’t taken on any work unrelated to “991” before, and this time, it was Du Jiawei, a senior in the company, who had requested them for this.
On the way to the film and television city, Fang Ming kept advising them to learn how to find their camera angles, show respect to their seniors in front of others, and try to get as much screen time as possible. If the director found them interesting, there might be future collaborations.
The show they were participating in was called “Nothing is Impossible,” a challenge-based reality show. The program had six regular guests, and for each episode, they would invite six additional guest stars based on the theme of the episode.
Early in the morning, Fang Ming brought Chu Ruochun and He Jun to the show’s makeup room. They arrived early, and the company’s senior hadn’t arrived yet; his assistant said he was still on the way.
For somewhat famous stars, arriving too early might make them feel they have low status while arriving too late could give the impression of being arrogant. So, they often timed their arrivals carefully.
Fang Ming introduced them to the director and arranged for their makeup.
They weren’t considered guest stars yet, but this episode required a larger number of participants, so they were included.
Surprisingly, they were joined by Lu Qing. He Jun greeted Lu Qing, but he completely ignored him.
Fortunately, the three of them were still relatively unknown in the entertainment industry, and their personal interactions didn’t draw much attention. In a reality show filled with big-name celebrities, their minor issues weren’t anything out of the ordinary.
All three of them shared the same makeup room, and they were dressed as ancient servants, wearing short brown robes and donning headpieces.
He Jun, checking himself out in the mirror, felt uncomfortable with the headpiece for the first time. “It’s a bit itchy. How about you?”
Chu Ruochun had just finished putting on the headpiece and replied, “I’m okay.”
He Jun scrutinized him from head to toe. “You don’t look like a servant boy. More like a young master who switched clothes with a servant boy.”
Chu Ruochun stood in front of the mirror and glanced at himself. His original face was gradually transitioning back to his own appearance.
While they were chatting, the major celebrities began to arrive one after another at the filming location.
Fang Ming introduced them to the company’s senior.
Du Jiawei greeted them casually and then went off to chat with other celebrities. He was a regular guest on this show and often had to bring newbies along. He found it somewhat annoying, so he didn’t have a particularly friendly attitude towards Chu Ruochun and the others.
Chu Ruochun and He Jun waited quietly on the side for the show to begin. They didn’t know anyone and didn’t want to attract attention.
There were a total of six flight guests this time, including Chu Ruochun, He Jun, and another unknown individual who were categorized as servant boys and maids. The remaining three were female members of a girl group from another talent show.
All six flight guests came from different companies, but the arrival of the last guest was truly unexpected.
It turned out to be Feng Qi, who had just won the Best Actor award!
Feng Qi had his own team and changed into his costume and headpiece inside the nanny van. It was only a moment before the shoot began that everyone finally saw him in person.
He Jun and Chu Ruochun, the two relatively unknown participants, stood in the background and whispered to each other.
“The production team is really impressive, they managed to get Feng Qi, a renowned actor.”
“Feng Qi?” Chu Ruochun looked towards the handsome man standing in the center of the group, displaying humility and politeness.
“You don’t know Feng Qi?” He Jun raised his eyebrows and glanced around.
Chu Ruochun adjusted his short brown robe thoughtfully. “I do.”
All the camera positions for the production team were ready, and all the guests started to make their appearances one by one according to the show’s script.
