abcnovels
Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Ten years ago, Shao Meng coveted Xie Wei’s good fortune, while Tao Tao was plotting how to latch onto stardom—even though Shao Meng’s singing wasn’t particularly good, he did have a couple of hit songs that made him barely qualify as a C-lister. For Tao Tao, who had just entered the industry, this was already someone she had to look up to.
She was twenty-one that year, originally an extra, and had floated around for three or four years before becoming a contracted performer, specializing in playing dancing girls. Tao Tao was unwilling to remain an extra forever; she thirsted to become a real star, earning huge paychecks and celebrity endorsements. So after getting injured and hospitalized, she began looking for ways to connect with Shao Meng. Her youthful body and alluring looks were her greatest assets.
She bribed the nurses to learn Shao Meng’s patterns and planned to engineer a beautiful chance encounter in the hospital gardens. But fate would not oblige her wishes. She had envisioned the best possible outcome to be using him as a stepping stone to success, yet as it turned out, she overheard a conversation between Shao Meng and the disfigured man that dashed her hopes.
It turned out Shao Meng was almost finished. It turned out he was coveting Xie Wei’s fortune. Latching onto a rich man versus becoming a rich woman herself—any fool could tell which was the smarter choice. Tao Tao made her decision almost instantly: abandon Shao Meng and get a piece of the pie for herself.
The disfigured man said, “To borrow someone’s fortune, you need to know their birth date and birth chart.”
Shao Meng was no fool. He immediately said, “There have been a few incidents on set. I can convince the director to hold a ritual ceremony.”
Superstition ran deep in the entertainment industry. After a string of mishaps, the crew was getting antsy. Even if the director himself didn’t believe in such things, he wouldn’t mind holding a ritual to calm everyone down. And people today didn’t care much for birth dates and birth charts. With a reasonable excuse, asking Xie Wei for his shouldn’t be a problem.
The disfigured man said, “It would be twice as effective if he could be present.”
Shao Meng was overjoyed. “I’ll go make preparations right away. What do you need?”
“Nothing. I’ll take care of everything.” The disfigured man replied calmly. “But let me remind you—borrowing someone’s fortune and changing your fate comes with a price. Are you prepared?”
Shao Meng asked, “What’s the price?”
“You’ll know when the time comes.” The other smiled eerily. “There’s still time to back out. Having second thoughts?”
Shao Meng hesitated, but his heart was already occupied by the allure of Xie Wei’s fortune. Greed muddled his thoughts. He couldn’t think clearly enough to weigh the pros and cons, so he said, “Let’s do it.”
Tao Tao memorized their conversation and approached Shao Meng alone, demanding shamelessly, “Count me in, or I’ll tell Xie Wei about this.”
Shao Meng was shocked and furious. How could he let her take advantage of him like this? While he verbally agreed, privately he looked for someone to dispose of Tao Tao.
But the disfigured man saved her. “Two is better. Xie Wei’s fortune is too strong. If you can’t withstand the backlash, it could kill you on the spot.”
Shao Meng was still unwilling.
Tao Tao added, “I have connections with the producer. I can help you.”
Shao Meng looked at her, then the disfigured man. Not wanting any complications, he reluctantly agreed.
Using the accidents as justification, they convinced the director to hold a ritual ceremony. The disfigured man disguised himself as a master and, under the pretense of checking their birth charts for conflicts, obtained Xie Wei’s and the other actors’ birth dates.
Afterwards, the disfigured man gave them each a talisman and instructed them to tattoo the pattern onto their bodies.
“The ritual won’t be complete until you get the tattoos,” he said.
Shao Meng felt uneasy, as if he was branding himself. “Why do we have to get tattoos?”
“It’s a mark, the mark of a thief,” the other smiled eerily again. “Regretting it? Too late. You have ten years. After ten years...hehe.”
They had boarded the pirate ship and could only follow his instructions.
After wrapping up filming, they each got their tattoos done. Then because they were sneaking around, others mistook them for having a secret affair. Shao Meng was wary of Tao Tao, while Tao Tao feared Shao Meng would get rid of her after using her up. So they simply went along with the assumption and kept tabs on each other.
Not long after, their drama Mystery of the Great Song Dynasty aired and shot them both to fame.
From then on, these two despicable individuals stole away Xie Wei’s good fortune.
This was the story Zhang Xi told.
Jian Jing asked her, “You know all this just because you’re a nurse?”
A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Xi's lips. “Of course not.”
Fame and fortune could move anyone’s heart. The flashy wealth of the entertainment industry dazzled all who saw it. After Shao Meng was hospitalized, fans waited outside the hospital day after day, sending endless gifts and flowers into his ward.
Zhang Xi used to think she was already quite popular, but how could a small nurse ever compare with celebrities?
She too began harboring greater ambitions.
And just as the disfigured man saw through Shao Meng’s intentions, he also said to Zhang Xi, “You want to be a star? I can show you a bright path.”
Zhang Xi was used to flattery from men, but something told her instinctively that the man before her was not an admirer like the others. Everything he did was simply to humor her.
“Why...why are you helping me?” she asked gingerly.
The disfigured man said, “I want you.”
Zhang Xi gave a start. Then she recalled that she had performed physical exams on him before and had witnessed his body's reactions several times. But as a nurse, she was used to such things and hadn’t imagined he harbored such intentions.
She was reluctant.
Yet he said, “I’ve never lacked for women. It’s just not so easy to find one like you now. Once I’ve recovered, good things won’t come to you again.”
Strangely, despite his deformed appearance, he spoke with an air of arrogance, as if he toyed with others in the palm of his hand.
Perhaps seduced by this mystique, perhaps born with a gambling streak, Zhang Xi eventually agreed.
She served him for half a month. Right before he was discharged, a visitor came to see him. The disfigured man introduced Zhang Xi to him—her current boss, Mr. Wan.
Zhang Xi quit her job and began learning acting. But uneasy feelings lingered. She constantly worried her efforts would be in vain.
Perhaps out of appreciation for her “heartfelt efforts” those days, right before leaving, the disfigured man told her Shao Meng and Tao Tao’s secret.
“I won’t shortchange women who have followed me,” he said. “Keep their weakness in hand. It may come in useful someday.”
This was how Zhang Xi came to know their secret.
She kept mum all these years, holding onto this card, hoping for a chance to play it at a critical moment. Unfortunately, the disparity between her status and Shao Meng and Tao Tao’s was too vast over the past decade, and opportunities were scarce. She had dragged it out until today.
Zhang Xi was afraid she would miss her chance if she waited any longer, so she met with Tao Tao and threatened to expose everything if Tao Tao didn’t withdraw from this competition.
“I had no choice—this was the best I could do. It’s got nothing to do with me that she has a guilty conscience,” Zhang Xi defended herself. “She did it because she panicked, not because of me.”
Jian Jing believed her account.
“Was there anything off about Tao Tao at the time?”
Zhang Xi recalled, “She seemed very afraid.”
“Oh?”
“Although I threatened her, there was no guarantee I could follow through. I knew, but so what? Without evidence, Tao Tao’s backers are not people I can afford to offend. If she did something shady on the down-low, I’d be the one to suffer. But oddly enough, as soon as I brought it up, she agreed without much hesitation. She seemed very frightened and even asked how I found out.”
Jian Jing's brows ticked up slightly.
After Shao Meng’s death, Tao Tao had been a nervous wreck. Could it be she sensed Xie Wei knew and was set on retribution, which was why she hastily wanted to back out? It wasn’t just a hunch—Xie Wei had repeatedly mentioned fate. Clearly he knew.
Round and round it went, only to come back to Xie Wei again.
He had motive and means as well.
The question was, how exactly did he kill Shao Meng?
“Teacher Jian.” Zhang Xi spoke up. “I’ve told you everything I know. About what you promised...”
Jian Jing smiled. “What I promised, I will fulfill. But whether it succeeds or not depends on your own efforts.”
Zhang Xi exhaled in relief, a smile surfacing. “That’s good to hear.” After a pause, half joking, “It’s fortunate it wasn’t me.”
“What do you mean?” Jian Jing didn’t understand.
Zhang Xi said, “If it really was me, I’m afraid I would have confessed already.”
Jian Jing was baffled. “Am I that intimidating?”
“No.” Zhang Xi laughed lightly and shook her head, meaningful in her words, “If I were a man, even if I wasn’t guilty, if you said I was, then I would be.”
“Impossible.” Jian Jing laughed. She thought Zhang Xi was just flattering her again and didn’t take it seriously at all.
But Zhang Xi knew she was speaking the truth. The girl before her simply didn’t comprehend her own charm yet.
*
Three in the morning. Jian Jing lay in bed browsing medical websites.
Under what circumstances can one contract meningitis?
The doctors' answers were all over the place. Viral meningitis could be caused by catching a cold, infectious meningitis like type B encephalitis could be from mosquito or insect bites, and most were due to viral infections.
Jian Jing remembered that Shao Meng had felt a little uncomfortable in the morning, and it looked like he had a cold.
Could it really be because of bad luck that he caught a cold and then developed meningitis, and was directly scared to death by the hallucinations? That would be too superstitious.
It couldn't be that simple.
If it were that easy, why hadn't the system announced the completion of the task yet? Thinking this way felt a little like cheating, but Jian Jing had quite a bit of trust in the system.
She just really had no clue at all.
She had examined Shao Meng's scene of the incident, and inspected his corpse - she had even discovered that the body was not yet cold when she arrived. However, even with such favorable conditions, she still could not deduce a reasonable answer.
Jian Jing had to admit that she was not as capable as she had thought.
Sigh, thinking back carefully, ever since subduing the robbers at Lakeside Park, her confidence had grown day by day. Even the bizarre death of Mrs. Qin previously had not scared her, but rather aroused her fighting spirit, and she boasted of not being afraid.
Did she really have the audacity to be so cocky?
The grading criteria for the expert cards was Sherlock Holmes.
But even Sherlock Holmes had suffered defeat before.
As for Conan...it was better not to mention him.
Jian Jing turned over, and the faint restlessness gradually dissipated. She had gained confidence from the golden case, and should also learn humility from this case.
"System, draw an ordinary card."
[System: Drawing cards in special instances requires double courage.]
Jian Jing: "......Go ahead."
[Drawing card]
[Draw complete]
[Item Card - One Answer (0/1)]
[Content: Preset a question, preselect a target, and when they answer your question in their heart, you can hear their answer.]
[Usage limits: Must preset question, must preselect target, cannot change, invalid if target does not answer in heart]
[Scene limits: Special instances and special missions only]
Jian Jing was shocked. She had never seen such complex usage instructions before.
"Why are special instances and special missions so...different?" She felt uneasy.
[System: Special instances and missions are abnormal conditions, card use is permitted to compensate.]
Jian Jing understood, the situation was special, cheating was allowed.
But she was very curious: "How exactly is it abnormally illegal?"
[System: A person falling from a hundred story building and remaining unharmed is theoretically possible, but a special circumstance.]
As soon as Jian Jing heard this, she felt it was bad news: "Then, catching bullets barehanded, kicking satellites with a soccer ball?"
[System: Can be regarded as special circumstances.]
Jian Jing: I understand.