abcnovels
Chapter 38 - Getting Rid of that Bigshot (15)
Chapter 38 - Getting Rid of that Bigshot (15)
Chapter 38 - Getting Rid of that Bigshot (15)
translator: baumkuchen editor: glitterypanda
Zhou Kai was rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Chi Xiaochi was ushered onto a police car and sent straight to the police station.
Chi Xiaochi, who’d gotten onto the car, sighed, “Ai.”
061, “En?”
Chi Xiaochi said regretfully, “I originally picked out the psychiatry department for him, but he just had to insist on slumming it in orthopedics.”
061, “......” Wasn’t it you who struck him into this state with a press of the accelerator.
However, if this carbuncle wasn’t treated as soon as possible, when Zhou Kai came to, it would flare up on Shen Changqing sooner or later.
Once he returned to the Zhou home, entered the Zhou family’s territory and allowed the news to pass, if Chi Xiaochi wanted to find the next best time to expose the matter, it would really be adding difficulty onto difficulty.
As such, 061 didn’t say anything, nor did he try to persuade him to be more careful next time.
Everything Chi Xiaochi did was for the sake of the original host.
As for caution, that was for him to worry about.
The doctor checked him over, and the final diagnosis was pretty much the same as 061’s.
A fractured femur, fractured ribs, a broken calf bone. His liver was also somewhat injured. What was for certain, was that from hereafter, he would be disabled.
That night, the Zhou home was abnormally busy. After the police car, came an ambulance, which was enough for those unresigned reporters squatting on the edges of the property to get high from the excitement.
After the news articles came out, all sorts of speculation began to roll in. There were also all kinds of “insiders” throwing out information that could neither be proven nor disproven, making things blow up into a big scandal for a time.
Just a day and a half after the public’s appetite settled down, Shen Changqing announced that he was having a news conference, taking the initiative to resolve all the rumours.
At the conference, Shen Changqing had dressed himself up very simply and neatly, wearing a white dress shirt paired with blue suit pants. The tip of his nose and the rims of his eyes were a little red, and his gaze was rather distracted.
Accompanying him was the police sergeant who’d paid a visit to the Zhou home that day, and brought him to the police station, James, as well was two unexpected persons.
—— The family doctor Aaron, and a Spanish maid from the Zhou household.
Last time he’d sat here, Shen Changqing had been a puppet.
Sitting here this time, Shen Changqing was the well-deserved protagonist.
He held the microphone, seemingly having mustered up endless courage, before speaking in a nasal voice, “Hello everyone. I am Shen Changqing. Someone who has struggled for three years in a nightmare by the name of Zhou Kai. A...... person.”
......Not an animal waiting to be slaughtered or a slave, a living, breathing, person.
Under the endless camera flashes, he slowly talked about his bitter experiences over the past few years.
Those days when Zhou Kai would pull his hair and shove his face into the cold, expensive floors, those days when he’d be screamed at with “I’ll smash your face into a pulp, break your legs into pieces, and we’ll see who still dares to want you”, those days when the bruises on his body had never once completely disappeared. He would never have days like that ever again.
In the beginning, the audience had been full of noise, with cries of doubt and disbelieving hisses, but slowly, only Shen Changqing’s voice could be heard in the hall.
Some more emotional female reporters held their hands over their mouths, softly sobbing.
After Shen Changqing finished talking, Doctor Aaron and the maid provided evidence of Shen Changqing’s accusations.
A fractured nose, multiple soft tissue contusions throughout his body, mild concussions, moderate concussions, a slightly broken shoulder blade, a number of bruises......
The maid stuttered in mixed Spanish and English, telling her story about what she’d seen and heard in the Zhou home.
“......Mister Zhou wouldn’t let us talk to Mister Shen. He’d say that Mister Shen was as stupid as a pig, it’d be no use even if he learned Spanish.
“Every time Mister Shen left the house, I would have to follow him. Mister Zhou needed to know where Mister Shen went, whom he talked to, and he would check it with over Mister Shen one by one. If what Mister Shen said was different from what I said, he would be beaten.
“And Mister Shen’s dog, was also kicked into a wall by Mister Zhou, and was seriously injured. Mister Zhou told outsiders that the dog had been harmed by a lunatic......”
Having to recall those contents was torture to anyone who didn’t have a dead or clean conscience.
As she spoke, the maid collapsed several times, tears streaming down her cheeks, unable to say a word.
But Shen Changqing didn’t cry. He looked towards the audience, his gaze filled with an unspeakable confusion and blankness, as if he still didn’t dare to believe he’d already returned to the human world.
His eyes were teary, extremely similar to those of a doggy who’d been punished but didn’t know what he’d done wrong. Just looking at him made 061 want to pat him on the head.
Without waiting for the maid to finish, there was a reporter who angrily stood up and asked, “You two are both Zhou Kai’s accomplices! You’re standing up now, but when you were doing these things, could it be that you didn’t know what you were doing was wrong?”
The maid covered her face and sobbed, while Aaron bowed his head, silently accepting this accusation.
With Shen Changqing’s consent, James, representing the police, released the images recorded by the dash camera that day. Even though it was only a short section of the total contents, the audio recorded inside was already enough to raise hackles.
“......You’re too tired. You should have a good rest.”
“......Mister Zhou, no, I’m driving.”
“Mister Zhou——”
As for Zhou Kai’s responses to Shen Changqing, they were disgusting to the point that no human could have said that.
Even though the camera didn’t capture the dispute in the car, from their conversation before the car went out of control, what had happened in the car could be inferred.
While they were watching the video, Shen Changqing appeared to have a slight stomach cramp, collapsing onto the table, trembling. At that point, the broadcast was then interrupted, only resuming when he waved a hand, indicating that he was fine.
After playing the video, Sergeant James expressed that they would be raising a number of criminal charges for crimes such as criminal assault against Zhou Kai, who was still unconscious in a hospital bed.
As for Shen Changqing, he had also committed several wrongs, such as hitting-and-running, reckless driving, etcetera. There was a possibility of him having to pay several hundred Canadian dollars to compensate for the abandoned wall, as well as having to do community service.
The reporters also asked many questions, such as how Zhou Kai’s ex-husband Su Wenyi died, whether Zhou Kai had committed sexual violence, and so on. Shen Changqing, hands on his knees, had answered every question one after another. Despite the order of his answers not being very smooth, he didn’t leave out any answers.
Such as Zhou Kai’s natural impotence, such as how he couldn’t get it up at all on the bed, not leaving out any details, no matter how small, making everything absolutely clear.
At the end of the conference, Shen Changqing stood up with tears in his eyes and bowed deeply to everyone present, “......Thank you, everyone, for saving me and Help.”
Inwardly, 061 cheered loudly.
These words were beautifully said, instantly satisfying everyone’s natural tendency to care for the weak.
For Shen Changqing, this was the perfect ending.
After the conference, Sergeant James escorted Shen Changqing to the parking lot.
He shook hands with Sam, who had been waiting in the parking lot for a long time, quickly letting go before the reporters outside could surround them.
Getting into Sam’s car, Shen Changqing fastened his seat belt.
Sam said, “You’ve done very well.”
Shen Changqing looked down, lowering his eyes.
If anyone were to take a photo from any angle from outside, all they would be able to see would be Shen Changqing’s tranquil yet helpless expression.
But his tone didn’t match his face at all. “You too.”
Sam raised an eyebrow.
Shen Changqing said, “It mustn’t have been easy convincing Aaron to come and testify.”
Sam laughed, “Aaron understands his priorities. In the event that they conducted a real investigation, he wouldn’t be able to escape. It was better for him to accept my conditions, testify, earn a sum of money, and find a small place to live the rest of his days in peace.”
Shen Changqing asked, “Then what about Bella?” Bella was that Spanish maid.
Sam said, “She was originally dissatisfied with Zhou Kai. Now that the situation’s exploded, she naturally wanted to pull herself out of the centre of the storm. Plus, she still had a little bit of a conscience......”
Shen Changqing stretched out his reply, “......Oh.”
Sam glanced over at him, before realising something.
He let out a bitter laugh, “......Mister Shen, you really are very capable.”
—— If Sam had had the plan to record the conversation between the two in order to threaten or use Shen Changqing, tying them together on the same boat, then his performance just now was not only unsuccessful, but also pulled himself in.
Shen Changqing was asking questions, and had in fact said nothing whatsoever; while Sam, on the contrary, had exposed all of his ambitious scheming.
......Even after leaving the media, in front of Sam, Shen Changqing’s performance was still watertight.
Sam said gently, “Mister Shen, please don’t misunderstand. There aren’t any recording devices in this car.”
Shen Changqing replied, “Are you sure?”
Sam started, his face immediately changing.
......He’d spotted the phone Shen Changqing was fiddling with in his hands.
But soon, Shen Changqing brightened the screen of his phone.
There were no signs showing “currently recording” whatsoever. There was just a picture of Shen Changqing and Help.
Shen Changqing said, “......Just playing a joke.”
Sam let out a sigh of relief, “Mister Shen, please don’t misunderstand. You and I were just working together temporarily, to achieve both our ends. Now that the matter is over, we’ll......”
“To achieve both our ends?”
Shen Changqing raised his chin and looked at Sam. His eyes were still misted over with sparkling sheen of tears. He looked incomparably weak, but the words he spoke next were a completely different story.
“Mister Sam, could it be you’ve misunderstood something?” he said, “If I don’t remember wrongly, this opportunity was entirely provided to you by me. In other words, it’s you working for me, and whatever you earned is your payment.”
Sam shivered with apprehension, and his originally polite smile stiffened.
Following that, the journey back was utterly silent.
061 said to Chi Xiaochi, “Those words of yours were too harsh.”
Chi Xiaochi said, “I’m paving roads and putting up bridges for Shen Changqing.”
061 of course knew that.
This partnership between Sam and “Shen Changqing” had been built upon a mutual hatred of Zhou Kai.
Now that Zhou Kai had already rotted, once this tower fell, Sam had immediately seized the company, taking control of Zhou Kai’s shares.
If he had a conscience, they could still talk, but Sam was, after all, an astute businessman. In case he tried to use the emails, recordings and other such things to blackmail Shen Changqing, to prove that his defeat of Zhou Kai had been long premeditated, destroying his moral high ground, and thus compressing the compensation Shen Changqing could receive, Shen Changqing needed to have something that could control him in turn.
Like for instance, there was a currently-recording voice recorder pen hidden in Shen Changqing’s pants pocket.
Chi Xiaochi couldn’t care less about what Sam thought. He himself needed to keep some information that could be used to threaten Sam.
......Including how Sam and the shareholders had had consultations in private, talking about their plans to overthrow Zhou Kai, including how after Zhou Kai’s sex scandal had spread, he’d played a few tricks to lower the company’s share prices behind his back, and even including the phone recordings and bank statements of how he’d bought over James, Aaron, and some heavyweight news media companies.
061 really hoped that these things wouldn’t need to be used.
By if there did come a time when they were needed, they would be a very powerful weapon of Shen Changqing’s.
And what Chi Xiaochi wanted was simple. He just wanted to give Shen Changqing a carefree life.
After all, one generally couldn’t just go home and eat alone after they were done fighting this battle.
Nevertheless, the gentlemanly system 061 who always treated people with courtesy still felt like Chi Xiaochi’s words had been too harsh and uncompromising.
In response to this, Chi Xiaochi had his own set of reasons, “Have you ever seen people drive in stakes when building bridges or building houses? It’s always done with drills, going ‘tututu’. In many cases, being gentle can only move oneself, after all, the truth isn’t what maintains the bonds of a stable relationship. Only fear does.”
061, “......” Feels like there’s actually some sense in this nonsense argument, how can this be?
Soon, they arrived at the Zhou home.
As Chi Xiaochi prepared to open the door and get off the car, after a moment of thought, he turned back.
“Still, thank you very much. I gave you what you wanted, and I also got what I wanted.” Compared to just now, Chi Xiaochi’s attitude had unexpectedly eased considerably, “Happy cooperation.”
Sam smiled and nodded, at the same time, thinking, this must be the social philosophy of those from the East.
The so-called “a slap followed by a sweet date”, was indeed truly formidable.
More than a dozen reporters who hadn’t had the right to enter the conference hall were still squatting around the Zhou house, feeding the mosquitoes. Their movements were one step too slow, and Chi Xiaochi had abundant experience, having long prepared the door card, the moment he got off the car, he slipped into the villa.
The reporters could only surround Sam, who hadn’t been able to leave in time.
Amongst these people, there was no lack of entertainment gossip reporters. As soon as they saw Sam and Shen Changqing entering and leaving together, they immediately smelled something fishy. “Mister Sam, over these few days, you and Mister Shen have met quite frequently. What is your relationship with Mister Shen?”
For the public that just wanted to watch the ruckus, what they wanted to see was the classic play where the prince rescued the suffering Cinderella from her plight. It was a cliche, but it was very much in line with the tastes of the general public.
However, Sam had no intention of pandering to their tastes. He adopted the manner of an English gentleman, and said reservedly, “We’ve only had the fate of meeting a few times. But I deeply sympathise with Mister Shen for what he has had to experience over these years, and at the same time, I also deeply admire him for his fortitude.”
Many of the reporters present let out disappointed expressions.
Noticing their reactions, inwardly, Sam laughed bitterly, helpless.
......They had no idea what kind of person Shen Changqing was.
To a person like Shen Changqing, he only dared to respect him, and absolutely wouldn’t dare to get close.
Chi Xiaochi, who’d swiftly slipped into the courtyard, slowed his footsteps, slowly walking over to the main building.
Since they’d entered the door, 061 had started laughing, unable to help himself. His warm voice had a little bit of gravel mixed in, incredibly pleasant to the ears.
Chi Xiaochi, “......What are you laughing about?”
061, “Nothing.”
Chi Xiaochi, “......Just now, those were tactics. Sam can’t be pushed too hard.”
061, “En, tactics.”
Chi Xiaochi, “......It’s not because you said to be a little more gentle.”
061, “En, it’s not.”
Chi Xiaochi, “......You’re so annoying. Can I apply to shut down your speech system for an hour?”
061 laughed, “Okay, I won’t annoy you anymore.”
As they spoke, the person and system reached the entrance to the main building.
The door had already been opened from inside and a slightly haggard Yi Song appeared, undisguisable fear on his face.
He said meekly, “......Mister, Mister Shen.”
Chi Xiaochi once more entered the cage, but he was no longer a prisoner.
He didn’t deliberately make things difficult for Yi Song, simply asking indifferently, “Is there beef in the house?”
Yi Song, “There...... there is. There’s also some macaroni.”
Chi Xiaochi pushed up his sleeves, “Get the things ready. I’m going to cook for myself.”
Half an hour later, Chi Xiaochi walked into the kitchen and cooked his first meal since entering this world.
He needed to feed himself well, because there were still many things to be done.
In the intensive care unit of the hospital, Zhou Kai painfully opened his eyes.
The nurse had gone to the bathroom, leaving him alone in the ward.
The first thing he felt after waking up was pain.
He blurted out a curse, “Fuck!!”
Zhou Kai twisted his body. As the upper half of his body screamed with pain, he also found that he couldn’t feel anything from the lower half of his body.
This kind of feeling of being completely derailed made him immediately panic. He began to twist like a loach on the bed, crying out involuntarily, “Someone come! Someone come quickly!!”
The author has something to say:
Edited again!
Today we have “an unconsciously-tsundere towards 061” Xiaochi qwq
panda: For Shen Changqing, I’m so proud, but for my family’s CXC, I’m so excited. ZK, that carbuncle, can go fester and rot now.