Capital Game

At the airport in the early morning, pedestrians stood in twos and threes with their luggage at the security checkpoint to have their faces scanned. The three of them didn't have much luggage. Jiangchuan Gu hadn't prepared anything except a mask, hat, phone, and power bank, so the security check was quick. They only needed to take off their coats and IDs.

Standing under the large screen displaying flight information, the three exchanged tickets. Zhou Pei clutched one corner of the ticket and asked, "I trust you because I trust Sister Lin. I hope you won't do anything that I'll regret, otherwise, I really will hunt you down all over the world!"

Jiang Chuan Gu put away his plane ticket, his resolute gaze leaving no room for doubt. "This time I won't wait patiently. I'll rescue her. Remember to treat me to noodles when you get back to the guesthouse."

“Okay!” Zhou Pei said, “I’ll braise some fresh meat for you.”

Jiang Chuan Gu nodded, it was hard to tell whether he was making a promise to himself or to Zhou Pei, "I will definitely have a chance to eat your newly braised meat."

Linlin followed Jiang Chuan Gu and turned to leave, boarding the plane in Chongqing.

The plane landed after 4 hours. The two didn't need to collect their checked luggage. Jiang Chuan Gu first took Lin Lin to a hotel near the airport, transferred some money to her, and told her to change to a hotel closer to the city center the next day, and then relax and enjoy her week-long trip without worrying about anything else.

He continued to contact the person in charge of the charity banquet in Chongqing that evening to inform them that he had landed.

The person in charge this time is Fang Xin, Jiang Chuan Gu's colleague from two years ago. He was originally a rich second-generation actor in the entertainment industry, but later found that he couldn't endure the hardships of being an actor and no one watched his work, so he obediently went home to start managing the family business.

Fang Xin arranged for staff to send a car to pick him up.

Upon meeting, Fang Xin smiled broadly and stepped forward, saying, "Big star? What brings you to our charity event? Aren't you always known for being incredibly low-key about your philanthropy?"

Jiang Chuan Gu's condition was visibly poor. Working non-stop meant he had no time to rest, and the pressure and anxiety made it impossible for him to sleep or eat. He lost a lot of weight, his cheeks became sunken, and with his facial features taking up too much space, he looked like a vampire who was starving and thirsty.

"What's wrong with you?" Fang Xin approached and noticed his dejected and nervous state. He asked, "Brother! What movie or TV show made you look like this? Luckily, I escaped this hell early! This entertainment industry is no place for humans!"

Jiangchuan Valley didn't have time for banter and asked directly, "I want to be the host and help the speakers connect the segments."

Without saying a word, Fang Xin called over a staff member and said, "Send the script to Gu Zi."

Jiangchuan Valley then said, "If I ruin your charity live stream today, will you blame me? Or how much money do you want to give me twenty minutes of tonight's charity live stream?"

"What are you saying!" Fang Xin, whose mind was always slow to process, said, "Wait, wait, I didn't understand what you said."

Jiangchuan Valley: "I want to use your live stream to say something. If I only say half of it, your live stream will be banned. But this thing might give my friend a glimmer of hope."

Fang Xin didn't understand what he meant, but his businessman's instincts told him that this was a losing proposition. "This matter is quite significant, isn't it? It's related to your Weibo account being banned, isn't it?"

Jiangchuan Valley nodded silently.

"Hey, it's been so many years," Fang Xin complained. "So you suddenly contacted me because you've gotten into trouble?" He looked at the busy staff and bosses behind him with a worried expression, gritted his teeth, and said, "Don't say I didn't help you! I'll give you the last twenty minutes to repay the favor of rolling in the mud for me back then!"

"No," Jiang Chuan Gu said heavily. "Let's forget about our friendship and the month we covered your food, clothing, and lodging. It's not worth it to just roll around in the mud."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Fang Xin ignored him and warned, "No causing trouble for the first hour! I'll have someone take you to change your clothes! Look at you, you're practically a homeless person!"

Jiang Chuan Gu grabbed his arm and said, "Those who go up to speak are all entrepreneurs who donated money. I only have one million in cash left for you. Don't break the rules."

"Shut up!" Fang Xin angrily punched his shoulder. "Keep your little bit of money to solve your own problems. My rules here are the rules. If I say you can go on stage, you can go on stage! If netizens really want to investigate, just transfer the money from my account. Go change your clothes!"

Taking the elevator to the top floor, the presidential suite, not only was a suit prepared, but a makeup artist was also waiting. It seemed that Fang Xin was really making arrangements for him with great care, and a sense of guilt welled up in his heart.

Changing clothes, putting on makeup, and getting his hair done took almost an hour. Throughout the process, he calmly considered what to say and how to say it to maximize its impact on public opinion. This time, he was determined to fight to the death, even if it meant being torn to pieces, to force the Ghost Gate to hand over the person.

After these past few months, Jiangchuan Valley is no longer able to work or live like a normal person.

When the crystal was placed inside his body through the Ghost Gate, his life had already begun its countdown.

He timed it perfectly and dialed Director Zhao's number.

Jiang Chuan Gu's voice was chillingly cold, "Director Zhao, long time no see? I'll give you 20 minutes to have the people from the Ghost Gate in Twelfth Street release my friend, or I will speak out on public platforms and let the matter of the superhumans go viral across the internet."

After a long silence, Director Zhao said, "Are you trying to take advantage of tomorrow's investment meeting? Do you think we don't have anyone in Changjing?"

Jiang Chuan Gu: "Then you have one more thing to do. Within 20 minutes, you not only have to find my whereabouts, but also contact someone to release me?"

After the call ended, he picked up his script, wrote down all the names, and thoroughly reviewed the entire process. Then he received a message from Fang Xin: "[It starts in twenty minutes. You can come downstairs to go over the process.]"

The charity gala reached new heights because of Jiang Chuangu's appearance as host. Fans and casual viewers alike discussed the event online. Marketing accounts started releasing videos and grabbing traffic within 10 minutes of his appearance, and even dug up Jiang Chuangu's past with Fang Xin.

His 20-minute opening remarks were almost indistinguishable from those of a professional host. Not only was Fang Xin happy, but even Fang Xin's father called to express his satisfaction with the level of discussion surrounding the charity event.

The overwhelming buzz was palpable. Fans expressed their longing for each other after so long, brands tried to invite collaborations through Jianlian, and passersby noticed the Fang family enterprise behind this charity event. Only when Director Zhao had just found out about Yuzhou did he see this face on the screen and break out in a cold sweat.

When the first entrepreneur went on stage to give his speech, Jiang Chuan Gu received a phone call from Director Zhao while he was in the audience. He skillfully turned off his microphone.

Director Zhao: "If you dare to say anything out of line, we can cut this live broadcast off at any time!"

“Then shut it down,” Jiang Chuan Gu said provocatively. “This entrepreneur has reserved 15 minutes, and I’m willing to communicate with you for five minutes.”

Director Zhao: "Do you think we'd be threatened by you?"

Jiang Chuan Gu stared at the three cameras and the entrepreneurs and philanthropists from various industries in the audience, and sneered: "Guess why I chose this charity gala? The Fang family has been preparing for this charity event for half a year. You know how many industries the Fang family group monopolizes. You can also find out who the Fang family's backers are. I know that since you can control my speech, the superhumans must have positions in politics and capital. So you can play the game yourselves. The Fang family must be grinning from ear to ear right now, right? With such a favorable publicity opportunity, will they give way to you? Will they voluntarily cut off the live broadcast? I'm a little curious whether the people behind the Fang family will win or you will win. There are 10 minutes left. Think it over and send me a message. Otherwise, when it's my turn to host, who knows what I'll say?"

The person on the other end of the phone was so angry that they started smashing things. Director Zhao roared, "Since you know that, aren't you afraid that the Fang family won't let you off the hook if you mess this up?!"

Jiang Chuangu found it absurd and laughed, "The Fang family? Director Zhao, do you have a brain? I'm already being targeted by the Ghost Gate and the people of Twelfth Street. I'm going to die sooner or later. Do you think I'm afraid of the Fang family? Well, if you had a brain, you wouldn't have trusted me so easily and let me out."

One minute before the second entrepreneur was to take the stage, his phone received a message: "[Calm down, we've made contact. We'll give you an answer in twenty minutes.]"

After the third entrepreneur finished speaking, he received another message: "Wu Liang is willing to hand over the person; arrange for a colleague to pick him up."

The fourth entrepreneur began his speech, after receiving a photograph: [At the entrance of Wu Family Manor, Lin Chaoying's pale face lay on a stretcher.]

Wow, the solution can be this fast?

He replied: 【Ten minutes! I need to make a call!】

After Jiang Chuan Gu finished his last segment and stepped off the stage, he received a call from an unknown number. He hurriedly told Fang Xin, "Please arrange for a host to take over from here."

Seeing that he hadn't done anything out of line, Fang Xin didn't ask any further questions and quickly instructed the backup host to prepare closing remarks.

Jiang Chuan Gu pressed the answer button. There was a few seconds of silence between them. His voice was a little weak. "Is this Lin Chao Ying?"

The person on the other end slowly uttered the word "yes," as if they had used up all their strength.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Chuan Gu pouted, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably. He bit his lower lip hard, trying to suppress his sobs, his heart filled with a mixture of relief and grievance.

Lin Chaoying's voice was very soft, "Jiang Chuangu, I'm so tired..."

Jiangchuan asked, "Where are you now?"

Lin Chaoying: "On my way to the airport, it seems they were going to take me to the base on Twelfth Street in Yuzhou."

Jiang Chuan Gu patiently reassured him, "I'm in Yuzhou, shall I come pick you up?"

“Okay…” Lin Chaoying thought of something, her voice soft and weak, and retorted, “Don’t come again. This time… you must have done a lot, so don’t come to Yuzhou. Go back to Changjing and continue being a star… okay?”

Jiang Chuan Gu understood that she wanted him to run away, so he tried to distract her by saying, "Your parents called me yesterday. Before you get on the plane or after you land, remember to find a phone nearby and call or text them back."

Lin Chaoying: "Okay."

Jiangchuan Valley: "Who's by your side right now?"

After a long silence, Lin Chaoying's calm yet powerless voice rang out, "There were five superhumans in uniform, Qin Ming was unconscious... and... and... Kong Yue's body..."