Chapter 80: Gang Crime
Just after finishing Yang Wanxiu’s call, Zhou Shiqing’s call came right after.
Xuan Xia felt that this person really had hidden Cao Cao traits—don’t mention him, and he’d appear as soon as you did.
She had just asked Yang Wanxiu on the phone about how things were going with the signed photos from Zhou Shiqing and his group.
Yang Wanxiu said that during the next program recording, Zhou Shiqing’s assistant Wang Xiaohai would give them to her.
Xuan Xia had originally wanted to mention the matter of Zhou Shiqing adding her as a friend and ask whose contact information he had used. But in the end, she felt it wasn’t necessary, so she didn’t ask.
Unexpectedly, just a few minutes after mentioning it, this old man called.
“Didn’t I tell you to call me as soon as you woke up? Don’t tell me you’ve only just woken up now.”
Listen to that tone of coming to denounce her—as if the world revolved around him?
Xuan Xia couldn’t hold back and let out a laugh of anger.
Even more uncontrollably, she directly asked him, “Teacher Zhou, has no film crew director ever approached you to act?”
“Huh?” Zhou Shiqing was stunned by her sudden, completely unrelated question.
Xuan Xia said: “I think Teacher Zhou is very suitable to play the domineering CEO male lead in an urban drama.”
No need to painstakingly figure out any character setting—he could completely play it in his true colors.
Zhou Shiqing: “…”
He probably also heard the teasing in Xuan Xia’s words and didn’t speak for a while.
After a pause, he said in a tone of angry laughter: “You’re really something!”
Well, what else?
Teasing aside, Xuan Xia still had to explain, “Teacher Zhou, I woke up at five in the morning. Calling you back at that hour didn’t seem polite, right?”
Zhou Shiqing was choked again.
Then he huffed angrily: “Then why didn’t you call now?”
“Teacher Zhou, we’re on the phone right now.”
“Then get this straight—I’m the one calling you right now.”
Xuan Xia: “…”
Wait, why was he nitpicking about this?
Before Xuan Xia could say anything else, Zhou Shiqing’s domineering CEO persona took over again. “I’m hanging up now. You call me back.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the call was hung up.
Xuan Xia: “…”
What family’s rebellious son was this!
He just wanted to ask about the Miaoxiang matter, right? He asks, she answers—done. Did it have to be this complicated?
Xuan Xia was a hundred percent unwilling to make this call. But she couldn’t not call, because there was no way to predict what kind of tantrum this rebellious son would throw if she really didn’t.
Xuan Xia could only console herself: Don’t stoop to the level of a kindergarten kid—let him have his way.
When Xuan Xia called back, Zhou Shiqing picked up, and his tone finally improved.
As Xuan Xia had expected, Zhou Shiqing just wanted to ask about what happened before he fainted.
He still remembered the situation in the illusionary scenery, but those memories seemed somewhat absurd to him.
Talismans flying in mid-air, talismans carrying lightning, that lightning crackling down on the ritual master…
Of course, there was also the valiant Xuan Xia.
He didn’t dare take these memories as real, and he had already asked Hong PD and the others, but what they remembered was different from what he saw.
In Hong PD and their description, they only saw the ritual master abandon the half-completed ritual, go crazy grabbing his shoulder to drag him out, then the other nuoxi masters saw something was wrong and hurried over to help, pulling the ritual master away, and after that he rolled his eyes and fainted.
Although Hong PD and their account was what he could accept, Zhou Shiqing still wanted to ask Xuan Xia, who had also been in that strange scene, what her memory was like.
Would it be the same as his?
Zhou Shiqing asked awkwardly, even a bit embarrassed for reasons he couldn’t quite articulate.
Probably afraid that Xuan Xia would really see him as a little kid—after all, it was so fantastical, not matching his persona at all.
After hearing his question, Xuan Xia said: “Oh, Teacher Zhou is asking about this.” Then she recounted the same sequence as Hong PD and the others.
After Zhou Shiqing heard it, he suddenly got unhappy again, tossed out a “Got it” and hung up directly.
Although very dissatisfied at being hung up on, since the matter was handled, Xuan Xia still breathed a sigh of relief.
If Zhou Shiqing had only encountered something like what happened with An Qi, she would have told him honestly, but now it involved other things, so she felt it was better to avoid trouble.
Thinking that, she looked up and saw Qu Xingxuan tormenting the milk tea in his hand.
After learning that Xuan Xia was leaving tomorrow, the milk tea in Qu Xingxuan’s hand wasn’t sweet anymore.
Noticing Xuan Xia’s gaze, Qu Xingxuan looked up and asked her gloomily: “You’ve got a boyfriend now, huh?”
Xuan Xia widened her eyes. “No!”
What the heck?!
Qu Xingxuan huffed sourly: “Still lying to me—making a call and playing games with it.”
Xuan Xia was covered in black lines.
What play! Believe it or not, I’ll make you play a full set of Wu San right now?
***
Because Xuan Xia suddenly joined the film crew early to report in, the evening welcome feast turned into a farewell banquet.
Welcoming two, sending off one.
At dinner, Li Fu also came back.
Xuan Xia’s earlier guess was right—Li Fu had indeed made a trip to Chu Miao Village these past two days.
He went to the child’s home together with the nuoxi master that Daoist Master Qin had contacted. That nuoxi master also studied witchcraft and was a witch-nuoxi master. After his intervention, the child immediately opened his eyes and spoke, with most of the condition improved.
The child’s parents were endlessly grateful to that witch-nuoxi master and Li Fu.
Li Fu also took the opportunity to ask the child’s parents about the origin of the bell the little child wore around his neck.
But the child’s parents weren’t very clear, only saying it was a gift someone gave to the child, and they couldn’t name the specific person. The child himself remembered clearly and detailed the process, also describing the gift-giver’s appearance.
Based on the child’s description, Li Fu immediately sketched the person’s portrait on the spot.
After dinner, when Li Fu specifically reported the situation to Daoist Master Qin, he also handed over the portrait.
“The child confirmed it—this is the person.”
Xuan Xia, who had insistently followed Daoist Master Qin to listen in, leaned over to look upon hearing this. “Wow, the drawing is great. But it’s not Ren Yaokun.”
She had thought the person in the portrait would be Ren Yaokun, but this person clearly looked different from Ren Yaokun.
The person in the portrait had ordinary facial features; if there was anything special, it was probably a pair of eyes.
This person had one big eye and one small eye, with the left eyelid drooping—unclear if the eye had been injured.
But this facial appearance was clearly not that of a good person.
“I thought it was a solo crime, but turns out it’s a gang operation.” Xuan Xia said.
Daoist Master Qin stared at the portrait for a moment, then handed it back to Li Fu.
He instructed: “Take it and ask around.”
Li Fu took it and said: “Got it, I understand.”
Daoist Master Qin turned to Xuan Xia and asked: “What time are you going to the film crew tomorrow?”
“Around noon, probably.”
Tomorrow morning Yang Wanxiu would arrive in Ningzhou first, then the two would take the bullet train to the Hengcheng Film Base where the crew was located.
“Now you know the other side isn’t acting alone. You’ve had contact with Ren Yaokun before, so for safety’s sake, from now on be careful—avoid acting alone if possible.”
Daoist Master Qin had been serious-faced twice today—unexpectedly, the second time was toward her.
Seeing him so serious, Xuan Xia also put on a earnestly serious face. “I understand. I absolutely won’t act alone.”
Although she had given her assurance, Daoist Master Qin still seemed unsatisfied, pondered for a moment and said: “Have Li Xinze go with you tomorrow.”
“Isn’t that overkill?”
She was just a little newcomer—bringing a bodyguard to film? Acting like a diva?
Besides, if Li Xinze went with her, wouldn’t the Daoist Temple be short-staffed and even busier?
But Daoist Master Qin calmly said: “We can hire summer help.”
The computer and games are all set up—no reason to keep slacking. Resuming 2 updates per day starting today.
