Chapter 37 Duang ~ The Lowest Point in My Life

Since returning from Quzhou, Jian Zhen hasn't paid much attention to online media. She's determined to make Pingping's side story as high-quality as the main story, thus spending much less time surfing the internet. In 2013, online information wasn't as ubiquitous as it is now; as long as you didn't actively click on certain social media platforms, they wouldn't send you annoying pop-up messages.

So, by sheer accident, she missed the initial stage of public opinion about her circulating online. When the phone call from the property management woke her up and she opened Weibo again, she was met with an overwhelming barrage of insults.

The incident began when an insider at Qili reported to the media that the creators of the hit show "Mystery Valley" from earlier this year came from prominent families and were abusing their power within Qili by relying on their aunt's influence, belittling their peers to elevate themselves. You ask for evidence? Everyone else was struggling to get paid, yet the "Mystery Valley" project team was still giving out bonuses and signing contracts for a sequel. Isn't that evidence?

Jian Zhen has always been a surfer on social media but never commented. When the project "Migu" was doing new media promotion, the business required the main creators to provide their personal accounts, which she handed over without reservation. She thought there wouldn't be any exposure, but... looking at the more than 20,000 new messages in her private message list that were cursing her whole family, she suddenly felt bewildered—do I not need this account anymore?

As she scrolled down, she felt that she had never been insulted this much in her entire life. Of course, that was only the insults directed at her. She couldn't control how many people insulted her behind her back, but since the insults had come to her face, she had to find out why.

So she endured the intense nausea and clicked on the trending topic #MissQiliJian#. Once inside, she saw that the most popular post was titled "Three Questions for Miss Qili Jianzhen".

The author submitted the article anonymously, using strong language that didn't seem like the emotion one would expect from someone completely unrelated to her. The first question the author asked was why she had changed the core team of "Mystery Valley," with several major changes in the project team from top to bottom, while she remained steadfast. The second question was how she managed to overcome a series of hurdles from the TV station to the Qili decision-making level, successfully bringing a niche work like "Mystery Valley" to the mainstream screen, while a major production like "Three Carpenters" was to become a sacrifice for her fame. The third question was how an ordinary animator who couldn't even get half her salary for missing a month could afford to live in a luxury mansion like Hong Kong One, and whether she had abused her power for personal gain or had a large amount of unexplained income.

When Jian Zhen saw the first two questions, she felt that the person was deliberately framing her and that they were talking nonsense. But when she saw the third question, she suddenly fell silent, as if someone had shot an arrow into her shoulder.

Damn it, only she and Xu Weisheng knew that she was poor.

The shouting outside the door hadn't stopped yet. Jian Zhen glanced at the doorway, covered her phone, and walked into the bedroom. After thinking for a moment, she still dialed her aunt's number.

While waiting for the call to connect, Jian Zhen's heart pounded. She hadn't really thought about what she would do if her aunt was implicated because of her. Should she apologize? The words "I'm sorry" seemed both pale and useless, and besides, she really didn't know what she was sorry for... But if she didn't apologize, she worried that she might lose her aunt because of it.

The call finally connected. My aunt's voice sounded a little tired, but she still managed to muster some enthusiasm: "What's wrong, honey?"

Jian Zhen's lips trembled, and she almost burst into tears. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, saying, "Auntie, I just saw the news today. Is your work affected?"

My aunt worked for a leading film and television company with state-owned background. Although it was called a film and television company, most of the time they were just doing the leading work, apart from the tasks assigned by the higher authorities. The vast cultural and entertainment market still had to rely on private enterprises to develop and drive it, and their role was to organize and control the production. Therefore, my aunt's name could often be seen in the opening credits of theatrical films and TV series broadcast on satellite TV at that time.

Those who climb high fall hard. Jian Zhen dared not imagine whether the onlookers would be more surprised or overjoyed when they compared this "Qin Xiao" with that "Qin Xiao" and discovered that they were actually the same person.

"What impact could it have on me?" The aunt on the other end was taken aback, then laughed. Although her laughter wasn't as hearty and natural as usual, it was clear that she wasn't putting on a brave face.

"Don't worry, I've seen plenty of storms, this is nothing. But your dad, take some time to call home and ask what's going on. Your mom said she hasn't been able to contact you for two days."

Jian Zhen sneezed suddenly, so hard that the blood vessels in her brain almost burst. She heard a buzzing sound next to her ear, and then the whole world was plunged into a long, static-like noise.

She thought of You Yu, who was far away in England. Uncle You had his accident around this time a year ago.

She comforted You Yu at that time: "The world is big. Go out and live your life. Everything will be alright."

But now all she wants to do is travel back in time and slap herself—the world is actually very small. Even for someone like her who grew up surrounded by love, the world is just a few pieces of a puzzle. If any piece is missing, her world will instantly collapse, the fragments will go their separate ways, leaving her a floating, lonely island.

She sat on the floor by the bedside, waiting for the tinnitus to subside. Every minute, she would rebuild her mental defenses, only to have them crumble every half minute. By the time she finally regained her hearing and started calling her father, she couldn't stop her tears.

Still can't get through.

Jian Zhen knew that Director Jian's phone was comparable to the mayor's hotline; it was rarely turned off or silenced. If you really needed to contact him, you could reach him at three in the morning, unless—

She was reluctant to consider that possibility; having grown up in the vortex of power, she understood that power itself was a gray area.

Just as she was about to put down her phone in despair, an unexpected call came in.

"Jian Zhen, your father is alright."

Jian Zhen stared at the three characters "Xu Weisheng" on her phone screen and momentarily thought he was some strange creature from another dimension, like the "Human Surveillance Bureau." Otherwise, how could she explain how he was sometimes so far away from her and sometimes so close, as if their hearts were touching and their hands were clasped together?

Are you home? I'll be right there.

Xu Weisheng slammed on the brakes at the traffic light. The more silent Jian Zhen remained, the more uneasy he became. He pressed his Bluetooth earpiece impatiently and asked, "Hello? Are you listening?"

"I'm listening." Jian Zhen's choked words made his heart clench, and all his anxiety vanished, replaced by heartache.

"I'm so glad you're alright. I was worried about you—I just found out myself, all thanks to Brother Hao." Xu Weisheng wanted to explain that his father had died and he had barely managed to escape from the funeral, but he was afraid that Jian Zhen would overthink it if he told her. After hesitating for a while, he swallowed the reason for his lateness.

"Don't come anymore." Jian Zhen listened to the commotion at the door. The property management had indeed sent people, but there were fewer people than troublemakers. The noise had doubled, and there was no sign of it stopping anytime soon.

"Why?" Xu Weisheng was both surprised and angry. He was surprised that Jian Zhen was still arguing with him at this critical moment, and angry that he had spoken without foresight in Quzhou and had broken her heart.

He continued without stopping, "Oh! Does that mean we can't have feelings for each other if we're not dating? Does that mean I don't even have the right to greet you if I'm not your boyfriend? Jian Zhen, can you not be so extreme in your actions? Even if we put everything else aside, we're still in an employer-employee relationship. What will happen to me—Pingping—if anything happens to you? Will we still be able to finish 'The Hundred Demon Records'?"

Seeing him so out of control for the first time, Jian Zhen was speechless for a moment. Her heart, which had sunk to the bottom, was haphazardly pulled to the surface. Although it was still floating, she was able to catch her breath amidst the dizziness.

Jian Zhen sniffed and said quietly, "There are... quite a few people at the door, so even if you come, you can't get in."

Just then, Xu Weisheng drove into the residential area. The barrier lifted, and the security guard in the booth recognized him, opening the window to let in some fresh air and announce, "Hey young man! Coming to see your friend? Her house is bustling with activity right now!"

Xu Weisheng turned to his phone and said, "You wait here." Then he took off his Bluetooth and got out of the car.

Jian Zhen didn't understand what he wanted to do, but her mind was blank and she couldn't think of anything else to do. The only thing that lingered in her mind was what Xu Weisheng had said on the phone: "Your father is fine."

He didn't even explain the source of the information, and just blurted out five words so recklessly. The key point is that Jian Zhen actually believed it. She sat on the ground and kept recalling her connections in Beijing, trying to find people who could verify this conclusion.

Unfortunately, in her haste, her brain couldn't process the information, and before she could even think of half a person, it was Xu Weisheng's turn to speak again.

Hsu Wei-sheng: "Open the door now, they've all left."

His words startled Jian Zhen, who thought he had already died. It turned out the two of them had gone to generate revenue for the telecom operator.

Jian Zhen snapped out of her daze, listened carefully, and found that the retreat had indeed ended outside. She was incredulous and got up to run towards the door. Her legs were so numb that she almost tripped and fell. She looked through the peephole and saw that Xu Weisheng was indeed the only one there.

"Where are they?" Jian Zhen opened the door.

“I had security take it away.” Xu Weisheng stood at the door, staring intently at her.

Jian Zhen hurriedly lowered her head, wiped away her tears with the pad of her palm, and said in a thick nasal voice, "I also contacted the property management, they—"

Xu Weisheng walked in, slammed the door shut, and interrupted her, saying, "I've increased the price; it's a thousand per person."

This is too extravagant... Jian Zhen felt unfamiliar with this style of spending money like water. She looked up and glanced at Xu Weisheng from head to toe, and found that he was also travel-worn, dressed in an unlucky black outfit, as if he had just rushed from a farewell ceremony.

Jian Zhen: "Your dad..."

"He's gone to the Western Paradise." Xu Weisheng's expression remained unchanged. As he spoke, he raised one hand. Jian Zhen mistakenly thought that hand was going to hug her and subconsciously dodged. Unexpectedly, the hand went around her shoulder and landed on the key to the front door of the entryway cabinet behind her.

Xu Weisheng picked up the bunch of keys, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Come with me, it's not safe for you to stay here."