The Capitalist World as Seen by Adults
After returning from Yunxijian, Zhou Chenjin and Fu Huanian's vacation was basically over.
"Are you driving?" Zhou Chenjin asked Fu Huanian while putting on her shoes after finishing packing. "Should we leave the car to Xiaojing? Professor Zhang still needs to receive intravenous nutrition regularly."
“I checked, the nearest clinic is a five-minute walk away, she probably won’t be thinking of driving.” Fu Huanian picked up the keys, “Today the car’s job is to take Manager Zhou to work.”
When Chen Xiaojing woke up, it was already nine o'clock in the morning. Zhou Chenjin took a break from his busy schedule to call her: "Huan Nian specifically asked me to remind you not to forget about Professor Zhang's IV drip."
"Okay, okay, I know." Chen Xiaojing reluctantly sat up and saw Zhang Renyin sitting next to her listening to an audio drama of a novella she had written while he was abroad. "Renyin, are you all packed?"
He nodded, took her hand, and wrote in her palm: "Has this been adapted into a TV series?"
Shang Shui Luo Ying's only work adapted into a TV series so far is "Give You a Lifetime of Splendor". Although the long-tail effect was amazing, bringing her incredibly high copyright fees and massive traffic, writers still need more works that are favored by capital to rely on.
“There was one, sigh. The male actor that the screenwriter and I chose was very handsome. He would definitely become a huge star if he played the male lead, which would greatly boost his status.” Recalling the past, Chen Xiaojing’s words were somewhat melancholy. “The contract was about to be signed, but then he fell to his death.”
Zhang Renyin paused for a moment, then continued writing in her palm: "Suicide?"
"His studio released a statement in his mother's name saying it was an accidental fall while he was drunk, but there has been no official statement, at least not so far. Many netizens spoke out for him, but the posts were deleted shortly after they were published." Chen Xiaojing sighed, "That's how capital works in the entertainment industry."
"Can't you intervene either?" Zhang Renyin wrote in her palm, "Or at least give a hint."
Chen Xiaojing paused for a moment: "If it were just about capital, perhaps my position might allow me to intervene, but that artist is different. The murderer's protector is a red one."
Once these words were spoken, everyone could understand their meaning.
Zhang Renyin didn't continue writing. He simply took her hand, slung her bag over his shoulder, and left.
The weather outside is lovely, with a gentle breeze and mild, non-scorching sunshine—perfect for a stroll.
Five minutes' walk wasn't an exaggeration; we arrived very quickly. Stepping into the health center, it was much cooler. They were wearing masks and had gotten injection slips from the convenient clinic—the two elderly people ahead of them had haggled with the doctor for ages before getting two boxes of bandages, speaking fluent Beijing dialect.
"How so?" The doctor took the documents Chen Xiaojing handed over. "You need an injection order, right?"
"Okay. Thank you for your help, doctor."
The process was very simple. Apart from the necessary communication, the doctor and patient did not exchange a single word. The doctor quickly handed the injection form to Chen Xiaojing.
There weren't many people at the clinic; when they arrived at the infusion room, there were only one or two patients receiving infusions. In the corner was a wooden door, its frosted pattern reflecting the silhouettes of people inside.
"What's that?" Chen Xiaojing handed the prescribed medication to the nurse who dispensed it. "Is it for lying down to get an IV drip? If possible, I can pay extra. My boyfriend isn't feeling well, so I want him to be comfortable lying down."
"Sorry, that door is booked." The nurse glanced at the wooden door and beckoned her closer. "The situation with the patient inside is uncertain; we've all been given strict orders."
Chen Xiaojing had no choice but to give up, but she kept staring at the wooden door while the nurse was preparing the medicine.
A strange premonition.
"Okay, go ahead and give it to them." The nurse took out a syringe. "Family members, please keep an eye on things."
After the injection, the nurse helped apply the tape, and Chen Xiaojing helped him sit in a spot away from the wooden door but still able to see it clearly, holding the saline solution, and casually put her bag aside.
The wooden door opened, and a man wearing a baseball cap and a mask walked out. He seemed completely oblivious to Chen Xiaojing and left the infusion room through a side door with a purpose. The door was slightly ajar, and Chen Xiaojing could see that there were quite a few people inside, about three or four, surrounding a hospital bed, but she couldn't see the faces of the people lying on the bed.
The question Zhang Renyin asked her before she left somehow came back to her mind and wouldn't leave—she opened her chat with Zhou Chenjin, deleted and edited the messages in the chat box, and finally only sent a few words: "Come out to dinner with me tonight."
The other end quickly replied: "Okay."
Zhang Renyin's saline solution was almost gone, and Chen Xiaojing helped him to remove the needle. Just then, they saw the man return to the wooden door.
What secrets does a wooden door conceal?
Zhou Chenjin arrived at their usual restaurant that evening as planned. The two of them ate together, but Chen Xiaojing deliberately spent extra money to book a private room and instructed the waiter not to enter casually, creating a completely enclosed space.
"Why do you suddenly want to have dinner with me?" Zhou Chenjin asked hurriedly, putting down her bag and taking off her coat. "Is there something you can't say?"
"Ah Jin, do you think those people who are rumored to have died online are really dead?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chenjin paused, her hand holding the food paused, and her expression changed noticeably: "Xiaojing, who are you referring to?"
“I don’t know either, but I’ve recently had this strange feeling that maybe they’re not dead. What do you think?” Chen Xiaojing served her a bowl of rice. “But I also know that there are many things I can’t find out.”
Zhou Chenjin earnestly advised her, "When we were young, we might have thought of capital as being able to buy lots of cars and houses and live a life where we could have whatever we wanted. But we're adults now, and we both know what capital really represents." Having worked in this industry for so long, she knew she would have suffered greatly without Wu Hengyan's protection. "I know you're a highly empathetic and sensitive person, but these fields aren't something you can easily overturn. Let the professionals handle the matter of seeking justice for the deceased; your task is to wait and trust the official results."
"Hmm." She picked up a piece of food, but found it tasteless.
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