episode 17
12:10 a.m.
S City, upscale apartment complex, Qilixiangdu.
A furtive young man dressed in black, wearing a black mask and a black baseball cap, was holding a Nikon D4 camera. He crouched in a tricky position in the lush flowerbed full of geraniums and lavender, dodging the routine patrol of the community security guard who was yawning and trying to fool people with his flashlight. He aimed the camera precisely at the floor-to-ceiling window of the tenth floor of the apartment building across the street.
From this voyeuristic angle, a man and a woman were standing by the window, their white sheer curtains half-drawn, as if they weren't drawn at all.
The woman was still somewhat reserved, wearing a sexy and alluring gray camisole.
The men are different; they can strip naked in less than a minute by the window.
Although their habits are somewhat different, both of them have equally pleasing faces. The man is handsome and the woman is beautiful. They are sticking together and kissing passionately. They are both popular celebrities in the entertainment industry today.
"Oh dear, this newbie is so clueless. He doesn't even know how to close the curtains. With such a big gap in the window and this tattered curtain, who wouldn't say he's playing around? No wonder his manager is always glaring at him."
Song Liuguang's small but shrewd eyes were fixed on the two people on the tenth floor, who were already engaged in intense activity, through the camera lens. He kept snapping photos while making sarcastic comments. "Hey! Don't move! Yes! Yes! That's the angle! It's so beautiful! I'll invite your company's executives to admire it tomorrow!"
Unexpectedly, just as he was getting into the swing of things and hadn't even clicked the shutter a few times, he suddenly heard a clear, unfamiliar click from above.
Immediately afterwards, a white halo flashed before my eyes, making me dizzy and almost blind.
"Grass!"
Song Liuguang squinted and cursed under his breath.
Is this a classic case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?
He quickly put away his DSLR camera and turned around.
The other person, surprisingly, continued to hold up their phone and slowly took a picture of his face before turning off the screen.
The white flash went out immediately, and as the vision gradually cleared, Song Liuguang was finally able to see the appearance of the "swarming mantis" in front of him.
He was a young man.
A head taller than him, he wore a light purple American high-street jacket, his dark blue hair casually framed his delicate eyebrows and eyes, a small silver stud in his left ear, a Marlboro Cherry Blossom cigarette dangling from his mouth, and a paper bag containing two cans of Coke hanging from his left wrist. He was staring at him with a half-smile.
He's energetic and has a kind of unconventional kind of handsomeness.
"Holy crap!"
After racking his brains for a moment but still not being able to recall which celebrity the person in front of him was, Song Liuguang gasped in surprise, completely forgetting about being photographed by He Xun. He couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Dude, you...you're so good-looking, did you just debut today? How come I've never seen you before?"
He Xun didn't respond, but instead took a look at the other person's appearance.
Three days ago, while searching for information about Mo Wenjin from birth to the present on the dark web, he unexpectedly discovered a criminal case file that had been erased from public view and could not be found on any website search engine except the dark web.
The victim, or to put it another way, the protagonist most affected by the case, is this little paparazzi in front of us.
After confirming the appearance, He Xun lowered his gaze, glancing over the paparazzi's outfit and camera.
good.
It's fairly professional.
At least he wasn't a complete novice; the information he found about this person online was fairly consistent with what he'd discovered.
The DSLR camera the other person is holding has high-speed continuous shooting and high sensitivity, making it perfect for shooting in low-light conditions.
"Tsk, do you need to tell me I'm handsome?"
He Xun grabbed Song Liuguang's shoulder, and with a swift movement of his other hand, he ripped off the mask from Song's face. He tapped Song's chin with his fingertip, seemingly threatening him: "You little brat, you're up here taking pictures in the middle of the night, aren't you? Come on, let's go see the police."
No, no, no!
Upon hearing that he was being taken to see the cops, Song Liuguang's expression changed drastically. He immediately slipped out of He Xun's grasp like an eel, his shoulders trembling. A forced, mocking smile appeared on his dark face: "No way, brother! Look at me, I have elderly parents and young children to support. If I have a criminal record, my life will be over. I have an eighty-year-old mother and a wife and children waiting for me to come home..."
"Stop trying to talk your way out of this." He Xun clicked his tongue and interrupted him with a sidelong glance, "Speak like a human being!"
If he actually believed this paparazzi, then all these years of his life would have been for nothing.
Upon hearing this, Song Liuguang immediately shut up, touched the tip of his nose, and grinned, revealing a set of big white teeth: "Hey! It's all for work, so please forgive me this time, bro. Ah, I won't dare to do it again next time. Please understand, I don't want to come out in this dark."
He spoke sweet words, but his actions betrayed him. As he spoke, he slowly slid backward, his dark eyes darting around faster than a windmill. As the last word left his mouth, he seized the opportunity to turn around and run away.
Normally, he might have succeeded in escaping, but Song Liuguang never expected that he would be defeated by He Xun, who was a thousand times more experienced than him and had dealt with countless paparazzi.
He Xun had expected him to run away.
There are far more cunning paparazzi in the chaotic entertainment industry than petty thugs on the street. They can climb trees and telephone poles, break into basements and lie under beds to take photos.
Having anticipated this, He Xun casually tossed the plastic bag in his hand to the ground and kicked Song Liuguang in the back of the knee, striking him even faster than Song Liuguang could run away.
Confident that he could escape, Song Liuguang, with his back turned, was caught off guard and immediately knelt on the ground with a thud. However, having been chased by various celebrity agents, assistants, and bodyguards for so many years, his reaction speed was not to be underestimated. In addition, He Xun had not actually used his full strength. Song Liuguang was able to endure the pain and get up decisively. He threw a handful of flower petals that he had picked at some point at He Xun, trying to distract He Xun's vision.
Purple petals, carrying a secret fragrance, were scattered in the air along with the dust, like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.
With his face covered in flower petals, He Xun finally couldn't help but stick his tongue against his cheek. Without further ado, he strode forward and grabbed Song Liuguang's arms without saying a word. Song Liuguang's arms suddenly rotated outward, and then his right knee rose up and slammed into Song Liuguang's back.
"ah!"
Song Liuguang let out a painful howl as the muscles and bones in his back went numb and dissipated, releasing all the tension in his body. He collapsed to the ground in a twisted position with a thud.
He Xun maintained his standard, neat, and nimble outward grabbing posture, bent down, and his delicate chin instantly drew a sharp arc in the air, easily hooking Song Liuguang's deadly weapon—the Nikon D4.
With his vital point removed, Song Liuguang was completely convinced. He knelt on the ground, clasped his hands in a gesture of submission to He Xun, and said, "Damn, buddy, you're really awesome! You've trained, right?"
"Still dare to run?"
He Xun shoved his phone screen into Song Liuguang's face, the ash from his cigarette slipping into Song's collar unintentionally. "Don't forget, I have a high-resolution photo of your face right now. Tell me, what would happen if I sent that photo to the agencies of those two upstairs?"
"Of course, if you feel that's not enough—"
He Xun paused subtly, then unconsciously licked his dry lips, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "I can print out a thousand high-resolution photos of your face, then stand on the tallest building in the city center and scatter them, so that everyone in S City can recognize your face. How about that?"
What's wrong?
That's pretty much like a kill order posted by the government office in ancient times!
"Not a buddy."
Whether it was from being burned by the cigarette ash or from being frightened by He Xun, Song Liuguang shuddered and said, on the verge of tears, "So what exactly do you want me to do?"
Even if he wasn't very bright, he realized at this moment that the other party was obviously after him tonight, and was not some kind citizen who happened to catch him taking pictures.
He Xun did not respond immediately, but calmly continued to observe him.
After what seemed like an eternity, He Xun finally managed a satisfied smile, which sent chills down Song Liuguang's spine in the midnight light.
Just as Song Liuguang was cautiously speculating that the other party might be a very good-looking human trafficker, He Xun suddenly grabbed her by the collar and pulled her up from the ground like a spring up from dry land: "Let's find a place to talk."
*
The air was slightly cool in the dead of night. The dark blue waves, carrying the salty smell and damp sea breeze, rushed onto the beach and then slowly retreated into the depths of the sea without leaving a trace.
Instead of going home to sleep late at night, He Xun and Song Liuguang sat on a large reef not far from the sea, gazing blankly at the boundless deep blue expanse.
After listening to the sound of the waves for an unknown amount of time, He Xun handed Song Liuguang a can of cola: "How old are you? Why can't you do something else?"
"I'm twenty-five."
He hadn't felt anything when he was excitedly taking pictures of the couple upstairs, but now Song Liuguang was truly exhausted. The lingering fatigue and the retribution for staying up all night surged through his body like waves, and his dark circles were even darker.
He took the Coke listlessly, but perhaps thanks to the fierce fight between the two of them in the flower bed, the moment he pulled the tab, the carbon dioxide gas inside the Coke can rapidly expanded, and the liquid unexpectedly rushed to the bottle opening and was quickly launched into the air, finally splashing down like a wave onto his dark face.
"......"
After a deathly silence, Song Liuguang subconsciously turned his head to look at his side, intending to apologize.
As it turned out, He Xun had already darted eight zhang away and was now standing on a rugged rock, staring at him with a look of astonishment and lingering fear.
Song Liuguang: "..."
A few seconds later, the two sat on a different rock.
The moment he sat down, Song Liuguang couldn't resist teasing him: "You bought Champagne Coke?"
"Even a three-year-old knows that cola needs to be left to stand for a while before drinking." He Xun shoved a spare tissue from his pocket into Song Liuguang's arms with an annoyance. "Use it to wipe yours."
"Hey... thanks... let's get back to what we were talking about. Right, you asked me why I do this."
Perhaps it was the sentimental atmosphere of the midnight beach that inspired Song Liuguang to start a conversation, and she took the initiative to continue the topic: "What else could it be for? For that stinking money, of course."
"Hey, how old are you? You seem like an expert, are you in the same line of work?"
Rivals are enemies in the same trade.
Song Liuguang belatedly became wary and suspiciously tilted his head to stare at He Xun.
"Older than you."
He Xun shoved Song Liuguang's cola-smelling dog head away, lowered his head and rubbed the bottom of the cola can, his tone tinged with an indescribable mockery: "Not entirely, half a colleague."
"Oh." Song Liuguang suppressed his suspicion and his mind worked quickly. "Since you're not a celebrity, then you must be a reporter, an entertainment reporter?"
The reporter, He, who had suddenly transmigrated into the body of a male servant in a melodramatic novel, froze almost imperceptibly as he rubbed the Coke can, his face remaining noncommittal.
"Yeah, that's great. Being a reporter is nice."
“Unlike me.” Song Liuguang gazed at the waves and sighed. “I grew up in an orphanage. Because I didn’t have enough money to buy extra study materials, I was forced to drop out of junior high school by my homeroom teacher in a sarcastic way. Later, I entered this industry to make money. I only found out from people that there was a legitimate profession called entertainment reporter.”
He Xun suddenly smiled upon hearing this, but Song Liuguang always felt that there was a hint of inexplicable mockery in his smile.
"What's so good about being serious? It's better to be unserious."
"What's the meaning?"
He Xun didn't explain his nonsensical remark, but just smiled and patted Song Liuguang on the shoulder: "However, you really are as sentimental as I expected."
When choosing partners, the primary selection criterion is whether the other party still possesses a passion and sentiment that may seem almost foolish to others in this bizarre and demonic degenerate age.
Even if it's just a little bit.
Song Liuguang is quite related.
Are you currently working as a self-media creator or signed with a media company?
Despite having thoroughly investigated the other party's life, He Xun still mastered the art of feigning weakness to outwit the enemy.
Song Liuguang, who had eaten less of life's food, was indeed led astray by his words: "I signed with a small newspaper. If it weren't for that damn contract, who would be so bored as to work overtime in the middle of the night? We're not policemen, we don't have the noble spirit to provide entertainment gossip and jokes for the bored masses."
Song Liuguang chuckled self-deprecatingly, tilted his head back and gulped down a mouthful of cola, when he heard He Xun beside him say leisurely, "In some ways, you're pretty great too."
His tone was unusually melodious, his lips moving as he ground out the last word, the ending note rising as if possessing a bewitching magic.
"What?" Song Liuguang's expression turned serious, and he was indeed drawn into the vortex.
“Excuse me, what I meant was—” He Xun suddenly turned to meet his gaze, his dark pupils revealing a strange, passionate intensity that made Song Liuguang inexplicably flinch.
"Do you want to become great? Or to put it another way, aren't you curious about why you became an orphan?" He Xun said slowly.
Song Liuguang's heart suddenly jolted.
Why did I become an orphan?
He Xun's words were very inflammatory.
“I…” Song Liuguang’s eyes involuntarily followed He Xun’s gaze.
“I’ve already checked.” He Xun gave a cold laugh. “Your parents didn’t abandon you because they didn’t like you. It was because they were hit and killed by a drunk man coming out of a club shortly after you were born, on their way to buy you milk powder.”
His tone was relatively calm, but Song Liuguang, who had been stunned, suddenly looked up as if struck by lightning: "What?!"
"But I checked before... I didn't find anything about it being because of this... I checked... they said it was because of illness... that's why..."
He opened his eyes wide in disbelief, his gaze unfocused, and mumbled unconsciously.
"Of course you can't find it."
He Xun stood up and interrupted Song Liuguang. For some reason, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his dark eyes were gradually becoming bloodshot. His tone was full of sarcasm: "Because just restoring the data from back then took me a full five hours."
"Five hours?" Song Liuguang looked like he'd seen a ghost.
“Yes, five hours.” He Xun said in a mocking low voice, “Your parents suddenly lost their lives, while that person spent some money and walked out of prison openly and legitimately, and also wiped away his stain. Your life trajectory has gone to hell because of this, while his life has not been affected in the slightest.”
"Do you think this is fair?"
At this point, He Xun's breathing became noticeably rapid, and his eyes were flushed with an unnatural redness. He grabbed the paper bag on the ground and roughly tore open the dark yellow file folder.
In an instant, photos and biographical information of Song Liuguang's biological parents scattered everywhere, crashing down on Song Liuguang's heart like a boulder, stirring up a thousand waves of blood.
Song Liuguang stretched out his upper body in disbelief, his hands trembling as he reached for it.
He Xun's rationality and restraint receded like the tide, and his true soul tore through the cracks in the falsehood and surged up, like a straw doused with gasoline and instantly ignited by flames, reflecting the past in the deep sea as a raging fire.
"Where the hell are you hiding the photo backup?! Give it to me, you son of a bitch!"
A barrage of punches rained down on the emaciated body, and a mouthful of blood gushed out like a drilled well, splattering onto the cement wall.
"He won't talk, huh? Torture him a bit! Bring me bamboo skewers! Be careful not to kill him! If he dies, we won't be able to explain ourselves!"
Splash—
Salt water mixed with mud was poured onto the young man, who was covered in blood and almost unrecognizable. The wounds on his fair skin suddenly turned outwards with the water, and the young man was in so much pain that he almost lost his voice and could only let out some faint groans of pain.
"Kid, why do you have to be so shameless? You're just a powerless ant, don't even think about challenging the upper class."
"This young reporter is really stupid. Can ideals put food on the table these days?"
"He Xun... I think we should stop contacting each other. Don't blame everyone for deliberately isolating you... The thing you recently revealed really offended that big shot in the industry..."
Countless cold sneers, mockery, and gloating filled his ears. He Xun closed his eyes, then, like some large feline, fiercely arched his back and gripped Song Liuguang's shoulders tightly: "Do you hate him?"
"Do you hate those high-class people who enjoy all the social benefits every day and endlessly exploit us ordinary people? Don't you want to see them fall from their golden thrones off a cliff and be smashed to pieces?"
"Because they colluded, you lost your parents! You can't even go to school! And he can still brazenly commit evil in this world! Do you really think that's fair?!"
"I!!"
Song Liuguang felt his blood boiling. He clutched the yellowed photograph tightly, and scenes of his childhood flashed before his eyes, showing him being ridiculed and insulted by his classmates for not having parents. His chest heaved violently as he stared up at He Xun, gritting his teeth as he asked, "Tell me, who is that person?"
A gust of wind swept by, and a wave surged up violently and rapidly, the churning water almost covering their heads.
Amidst the surging waves, He Xun finally smiled slightly. He released his grip and said in a hoarse voice, "His surname is Mo, and his name is Mo Wenjin."
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