Jing Li scoffed lightly, finding the whole situation quite laughable yet more so preposterous.
Not only had the other party previously interfered in someone else’s relationship and shamelessly took advantage of resources, but after failing, the person who tried every possible means to ruin his reputation actually turned around to beg for forgiveness from him, still with the self-righteous attitude of condescending to curry favor.
Did he really think that just lowering his head would definitely make him forgive? Where did such confidence come from!
Jing Li almost laughed out of anger, his rare bad temper provoked to the surface.
“That’s not the proper attitude to ask for favors,” he said with the lightest of mocking laughs, his tone lazily playful, “But if you really find it too difficult, I suggest you think it through clearly first before speaking?”
Pausing, he pretended to hesitate and added, “Though I’m not a very patient person. If I keep getting pestered by people I dislike, I can’t guarantee I won’t do something irrational. What do you think?”
Having said that, he supported his chin with one hand while the other lightly rested on the armrest, tapping the leather surface lightly.
That seemingly gentle force was like directly striking one’s heart. Each tap carried a thrilling sense of warning.
Lin Xiao was unsettled by the sporadic sounds, but more so, he felt humiliated and resentful towards the mocking tone in the other’s words. And he even dares to threaten me!
Lin Xiao clenched his phone tightly until his fingers turned white, yet he didn’t seem to feel the pain at all. On the contrary, the rage in his heart surged up wave after wave, nearly burning through his sanity.
Even so, he had no choice but to restrain the fury in his heart as much as possible, lowering his stance to satisfy the other in exchange for future stability.
Lin Xiao took a deep breath, then hardened his heart and directly knelt on the ground.
His knees struck the floor with a loud “bang”, resonating through the spacious room, jolting his heart in an instant with the sensation of humiliation, solidifying into a sharp thorn that stabbed straight into the depths of his heart. The pain made his whole body shudder, his features twisted and deformed, his eyes cold and vicious.
Yet when he spoke, his tone was the complete opposite of his expression – humble, almost to the point of groveling.
“I’m sorry, Jing Shao. I was wrong before. I kneel before you now.” Lin Xiao lowered his eyes to hide the emotions within and made his already hoarse voice sound more broken and defeated, strangely eliciting sympathy as if he was in despair and resignation.
“Please be merciful and spare me this once for my sincere apology. I promise to stay far away from you and never trouble your eyes again.” After Lin Xiao finished speaking, hearing only silence from the other end, he thought the other still found humiliating him insufficient. Gritting his teeth, he threw away his pride and said, “If you still cannot be satisfied, I will keep kowtowing until you calm down.”
As he spoke, he made to knock his head on the ground, but stopped right before his forehead touched, wanting to test Jing Li’s reaction. However, the other seemed to see through his intention and remained silent as if truly waiting to hear the sound of him kowtowing.
With no way out, Lin Xiao could only grit his teeth and knocked his head down for real. His forehead tapped the floor lightly, lacking in force to make an audible sound.
“How come there’s no sound?” Jing Li’s slightly puzzled voice suddenly came through the receiver.
Lin Xiao froze, then his entire face swiftly flushed red. He took a deep breath and knocked down forcefully again. A muffled thud echoed through the room, louder than when he had knelt. The humiliation struck even deeper.
He had knocked so hard that his mind went blank for several seconds before he could regain his bearings.
However, the person on the other end of the line said nothing again. Lin Xiao knew very well that the other was deliberately toying with him, but he was helpless, only able to grit his teeth and continue kowtowing. Again and again, until his forehead turned from red and swollen to purplish-blue, and his brain buzzed loudly from the impacts.
He didn’t know how much time had passed before finally hearing the person on the phone relent, his voice lazy, “Alright, stop kowtowing. If you get seriously hurt, you’ll just spill dirty water on me again.”
So, his humiliating pleas for forgiveness were just filthy water in his eyes? Jing Li was as always, only finding enjoyment in others’ pain.
Lin Xiao silently mocked in his heart, but his face was numb as if he had completely given up his dignity.
“Fine, I can barely feel your sincerity in apologizing, so let’s leave it at that.”
As Jing Li was about to hang up, Lin Xiao panicked upon hearing it and quickly said, “So you’ve forgiven me? In that case, can you put in a word with my company to not…”
Before he could finish, Jing Li suddenly interrupted, sounding puzzled, “Why would I talk to your company?”
Lin Xiao froze, subconsciously responding, “Didn’t you say you’d let me off if I sincerely apologized?”
“I did say I could vaguely feel the sincerity in your apology and have no intention of holding it against you, right?” Jing Li casually laughed, “But this whole matter seems completely unrelated to your company. Could it be your company also wronged me behind my back?”
Lin Xiao: “…”
Lin Xiao was rendered speechless by his retort, finally realizing belatedly that he had been toyed with like a monkey. His face fluctuated between pale and flushed. All the endurance, humiliation, and anger he had bottled up finally erupted in this moment.
“You dare toy with me?” He glared at the phone screen through gnashed teeth, the resentment in his eyes almost tangible, transmitting directly into Jing Li’s ears.
However, Jing Li didn’t take it to heart at all. Instead, he chuckled happily, “How could I? At least I’ve forgiven you, right?”
“Jing Li! You despicable, shameless bastard!!” Lin Xiao was finally provoked to the extreme by that mocking chuckle. He roared ferociously into the receiver, “I’ve already knelt and kowtowed to apologize, yet you’re still not satisfied? Do I have to really commit suicide for you to stop?!”
“Aren’t you just jealous that Zhong Liangchen treats me well? Now you’ve sent Zhong Liangchen to prison and ruined my reputation, so I’m cursed and denounced everywhere like a stray dog, and my company wants to shelve me because of you. Even Wang Junwen is about to go bankrupt because of you guys. What more do you want?!”
“Did I force you to do all that?” Jing Li remained nonchalant, lazily asking, “Did I force Zhong Liangchen to get close to me, or make you guys shamelessly use my resources while cheating behind my back? Or perhaps, did I force you to slander and frame me online to ruin my reputation?”
“Could it be you thought that after doing so many unforgivable things, just a simple apology would make me completely let go and continue using you?”
With each sentence Jing Li spoke, his expression grew colder. By the end, only cold ridicule remained in his eyes. “Are you an idiot, or do you think I’m that easy to fool?”
Lin Xiao said nothing more. Only his heavy breathing could be heard through the receiver, and a trace of trembling could not be ignored. It was evident his emotions were fluctuating wildly, but for some unknown reason, he forcibly suppressed the urge to continue venting, barely keeping his voice in check.
However, Jing Li didn’t care at all. After sadistically enjoying the other’s sorry state, his mood settled down again. He showed a slight trace of compassion, he kindly reminded, “Let me give you one last piece of advice. Take your insignificant pride and get out of my sight before I’m completely enraged. If I find out you’re still making trouble…”
Jing Li gave a mocking, contemptuous scoff. Though he didn’t explicitly state the consequences, the chill in his words stabbed into the other like a sharp blade, startling him into trembling involuntarily as his body went limp.
It wasn’t until this moment that he truly realized Jing Li’s cruelty and ruthlessness, and it wasn’t until this moment that he fully understood Jing Li’s temperament.
This was not some brainless, crazy rich second generation who lost his mind over a man.
This was a ferocious beast through and through!
They had been wrong before.
Recalling the evidence exposed online by the other party, realizing he had likely known all their schemes clearly for over a year, possibly even watching their clumsy performance like a play this whole time, Lin Xiao couldn’t help shuddering again.
He finally regretted provoking the other initially and, even more so, entertaining fanciful thoughts of scheming against him when he had already been spared. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up in such misery.
But it was obviously too late for any regrets now.
Lin Xiao collapsed limply on the floor, hands hanging weakly as the phone slipped from his grasp and crashed loudly on the ground. However, he did not react at all. His eyes just stared blankly ahead as if his mind had been emptied.
Jing Li didn’t care at all about the other’s state. After saying his piece, he directly hung up and blocked the number.
Finally, it was quiet.
*
After the hot search incident ended, Jing Li’s days returned to normal – shooting scenes by day, resting and reviewing scripts in his room at night, peaceful and enjoyable as always.
Due to the sensational hot search these past days, almost everyone on set paid more attention to Jing Li now, though not with strange looks, but out of sympathy and concern.
Despite Jing Li only being here a few days, his performance was clear to all, and his usual gentle, courteous manner, coupled with his proven capabilities, made most hold him in esteem and respect. So, when they saw the online slander against him, many willingly spoke up for him.
After the incident reversal exposed those villains’ despicable deeds, the crew who knew Jing Li’s experiences felt indignant while also sympathizing more deeply with his past sufferings. Their gazes toward him now held complex, indescribable emotions.
As for the rest, after experiencing Jing Li’s capabilities in handling the hot search and the huge financial resources hidden behind it, even if they still disliked him personally, they also gained some apprehension, no longer daring to disregard him so openly.
So now, whenever Jing Li appeared on set, he was met with staff either smiling at him with an obvious desire to say something yet holding back or pretending to work while sneakily stealing glances at him.
It felt a bit strange, but Jing Li wasn’t one to make trouble. As long as no one actively bothered him, he’d pretend nothing was amiss.
After a few days of living comfortably like this, Jingyu called him, saying that he was already on the plane back and would arrive tomorrow evening, just in time for dinner.
Listening to the other party’s obvious hints, Jing Li couldn’t help laughing but quickly composed himself and teased seriously, “Oh? Pay attention to safety, Ge. Rest well when you get home. I’m quite busy shooting, I’ll come see you when I have time.”
Jing Yu paused, then gave an indifferent “Mn”. Although his voice sounded extremely normal, Jing Li’s sharp ears still caught a hint of disappointment in his tone.
The corners of his lips quirked up again, though he said nothing more, only chatting idly with his brother for a bit before hanging up.
“Er Shao, do we…have any new arrangements later?” His little assistant, who happened to be passing by, looked at his Second Young Master with a bewildered look on his face, thinking he must have missed something in their schedule.
“Go pack up!” Jing Li turned to him with an arched smile, patting his shoulder as he headed towards Director Li, leaving the assistant standing there dazedly, watching his Second Young Master’s slightly excited figure disappear into the rain, only belatedly calling out after a long pause, “Er Shao, at least take an…” umbrella when you go!
It’s raining so heavily!
But Jing Li was already far away. Hearing the shout, he only casually raised a hand to wave without even turning back.
Little Assistant: “…”
The little assistant looked confused but still followed the Second Young Master’s orders and returned to pack up.
In a sense, Jing Li was right that shooting had been busy lately. The crew’s schedule was packed since filming burned money daily. Combined with the time lost changing actors previously, Director Li was indeed rushing the progress.
But this busyness was only relative to the main cast. For a minor role like Jing Li, who did not have many scenes, the arrangements were still loose. With the early storylines mostly filmed, these days, he was basically idle on set. Other than going to watch others act, he spent most of his time in his room reading scripts and practicing lines. It was quite leisurely.
So, when Jing Li asked for leave tomorrow, Director Li agreed almost without hesitation. Jing Li indeed had few scenes lately, and his performance was always great. Even without scenes, he diligently came to observe and learn. His temperament was gentle and courteous, almost perfectly matching the type he most appreciated. So, his attitude towards Jing Li was to accommodate him when possible.
But this person was also self-disciplined, rarely coming to him for favors. Hearing Jing Li take the initiative today, he oddly felt a joyful sense of finally having a chance to do him a favor.
“Alright, go on home,” Director Li readily nodded. Considering his status, he probably hadn’t been away from home for so long. Plus, with the online fiasco recently, he was surely feeling wronged without an outlet. After a pause, he took the initiative to ask, “Is one day enough time? If not, I can approve two more days.”
“Thank you, Director Li, but no need.” Jing Li smiled gratefully. Seeing this, Director Li did not say anything more. He only reminded him to keep his phone on to stay in contact before letting him leave.
Jing Li bid farewell to some acquaintances before exiting the studio. His little assistant had packed and waited outside with the luggage. Since it was just a short trip home, there wasn’t much to bring. They only brought a small suitcase, which was quite light.
The assistant held the suitcase in one hand while holding an umbrella over Jing Li with the other as he hurried over. Casually asking, “Er Shao, where are we going?”
“Home,” Jing Li succinctly replied, already striding forward. “Did you notify the driver?”
“I called him before going back. They’re staying nearby, so they should be here now.” The assistant hurried to catch up.
Jing Li nodded without further comment.
Sure enough, the car was parked at the curb when they exited, the rest of the team waiting by the car. They greeted Jing Li as he approached.
Jing Li acknowledged them before getting in the car to change into clean clothes from his assistant, drying his hair with a towel while forbidding them from telling his brother he was coming home. Only then did he let the driver depart.
The atmosphere in the car felt a bit odd as they pulled onto the road.
The team had been arranged by Jing Yu to serve Jing Li, but since this was only their second meeting, they weren’t very familiar with his temperament yet. Having heard many shocking rumors before, they were still somewhat wary of Jing Li, so aside from necessary conversation, everyone was restrained and quiet on the ride.
Only the little assistant, upon hearing the Second Young Master wanted to surprise the Eldest Young Master, chattered excitedly the whole way, even suggesting various ideas to create the surprise, refusing to give up despite Jing Li shooting them all down.
His excited voice rang through the car as he chattered on alone, leaving Jing Li’s face helplessly resigned.
Seeing Jing Li’s good temper, the other members were infected by the assistant’s mood, gradually joining in the chat until the atmosphere became harmonious.
Seeing this, Jing Li said no more, letting them talk happily while he turned to gaze out the window.
Watching the scenery flow by backward, the fierce winds violently whipping the roadside trees, intermittent rain blown sporadically from the sky, splashing up sprays of water upon hitting the ground – the rugged scenery held its own interest.
Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a frail young woman struggling to push a stroller down the side street in the rain. She was drenched by the downpour, with the fierce winds forcing her back repeatedly. The baby inside was also startled, flailing its limbs in distress.
What shocked him most was the thick, ash-grey mist around the woman, symbolizing death, swiftly growing at a visible rate. Some of it was even spreading towards the child, soon enveloping it in a thin layer.
However, in such weather, all the pedestrians were running in a hurry, and no one noticed the woman’s miserable condition, let alone knowing of her suicidal thoughts.
“Pull over up ahead.” Jing Li suddenly instructed the driver.
The assistant, who had been chatting merrily, was startled, subconsciously looking over and asking, “What’s the matter, Er Shao? Is something wrong?”
“Mm, I’m getting out for a bit,” Jing Li responded casually. Once the car stopped, he grabbed an umbrella and rushed out.
In just that brief time, the woman had become even more disheveled by the raging storm. Up close, the wailing cries of the baby in the stroller could be heard, the voice hoarse from prolonged crying.
“Are you okay? Do you need help?” Jing Li hurried over to hold the umbrella over the woman and stroller, barely sheltering them from the frenzied downpour.
The woman was probably surprised by his sudden appearance, her expression clearly stunned and bewildered as she looked over.
Jing Li was also taken aback by her haggard, tear-stained face, tinged blue from the cold, but he could also clearly see the despair and madness in the other person’s eyes that she had not yet had time to put away.
But he didn’t show anything, only shifting his gaze slightly as if trying hard not to embarrass her.
“Thank you.” The woman quickly reacted, hurriedly wiping her eyes and trying to give him a smile. “Could you help bring me over to that eaves to take shelter? I didn’t bring an umbrella when I went out and couldn’t find anywhere to escape the rain.”
Although the words were polite, the slightly perfunctory tone seemed like a casual courtesy, used to get rid of well-meaning people who found it troublesome.
“Alright.” Jing Li nodded and glanced at the still-wailing child in the stroller. “Do you want to carry your child first?”
The woman was stunned that he agreed. Subconsciously following his gaze, seeing the miserable state of the child, her expression instantly twisted in pain for a moment before she reached out with trembling hands to clutch the child tightly, unwilling to let go for a long time.
“Let’s get out of the rain first,” Jing Li said after noting the lessened deathly mist around her, timely reminding her. The woman seemed to snap out of it, hurrying to agree while freeing a hand to push the stroller.
“Let me,” Jing Li thoughtfully took the stroller, escorting the mother and child under the eaves amidst the woman’s gratitude.
Once there, Jing Li looked at the continuous rainstorm outside that was obviously not going to stop for a while, and then looked at the woman holding her child alone without even a bag. Hesitating, he still asked, “The rain doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Do you want to call your family to come get you?”
In this late autumn weather, drenched in the storm winds, they could easily get sick, especially the child. Glancing over, its lips were already purpling from the cold, its tiny body shivering nonstop.
“Oh, thank you. I’ll, I’ll call now.” The woman forced a smile, then reluctantly took out her phone under Jing Li’s gaze. But she hesitated again while dialing.
After a pause, she still input a familiar number and reluctantly called.
Clutching the phone tightly at the beeping, she was instantly nervous.
The call connected quickly after a few rings as if waiting expressly for her call. The woman was stunned before hearing the familiar voice sobbingly calling her nickname. Finally unable to hold back, she cried loudly, “Mom! I’m sorry, I was wrong…”
The woman babbled to her mother about her pains while crying desperately. Despite the rainy barrier, Jing Li could vaguely hear sobs from the other end.
He subconsciously shifted aside a few steps, but his eyes were observing the woman’s condition from time to time. As the call time lengthened, the ashen mist around the woman gradually dissipated until completely gone.
As her mental state changed, the mist around her child also quickly vanished, replaced by a light blue denoting a mother’s guilt and abundant love for her child.
Finally, the woman ended the call.
“Thank you.” She choked out thanks between sobs to the young man while wiping her tears. “My mom will come get me soon. You can leave first if you’re in a rush. We don’t live far. Just a few minutes wait.”
Just as Jing Li was about to speak, his little assistant, who had come looking for him, hurried over, closing the umbrella. “Er Shao, why were you gone so long without even bringing a coat… It’s freezing out here!”
As he turned around, he saw a strange woman standing in front of him. Pausing, he smiled apologetically at her before looking back to Jing Li.
Seeing the clothes in his arms, Jing Li thought for a moment before handing them to the woman. “I should get going. Keep the umbrella and clothes, they can block the rain for your child.”
Just as the woman was about to refuse, the mention of her child made her swallow it back. She thanked him with red-rimmed eyes.
Jing Li nodded at her and called for his assistant to leave but was called back by the woman again.
“Thank you, you’re a good person,” she said chokingly. “If not for you, my child and I might have…”
Unable to continue, she hurriedly covered her mouth, not wanting to sob out loud.
Jing Li was silent for a moment, unfamiliar with such family matters and unsure how to respond. But he still walked over to pat her shoulder, sincerely saying, “Don’t be upset. All the misfortunes have passed. Things will get better from now on…”
As he spoke, he suddenly froze.
Before his eyes, wisps of light were slowly condensing in his palm, then gradually seeping into the woman’s body from the point of contact.
The angle just gave him a clear view of it happening.
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