Chapter 250 Shen Qingshu begins to have doubts
Shen Qingshu had a very fulfilling Saturday.
First, I went to see the house renovation, and then I went to the studio.
Since she returned to Beicheng, some of her old clients have come back to the studio, all of them looking for Shen Qingshu.
Shen Qingshu has a passion for cultural relic restoration, and even though she has now taken over Huanxing Entertainment, she still prioritizes the studio.
The building's ownership has now been transferred to Shen Qingshu's name. As her studio's business expands, Shen Qingshu plans to take back the upstairs floor when the lease expires after the new year and turn it into an art gallery.
However, she does not run a traditional gallery. She plans to combine a training institution with a gallery, focusing on public welfare and targeting special groups for enrollment.
This is something she has wanted to do for years.
The fact that Xiao Nian'an almost became autistic touched her deeply. Her Xiao Nian'an was lucky, but there are many autistic children in the world who are not so fortunate.
She knew her own strength was limited, but given the opportunity and funds, she wanted to do as much as she could.
After becoming a mother, Shen Qingshu became even more convinced of the importance of doing good deeds and accumulating merit, believing that doing good deeds would bring blessings to her two children.
Last week, the excavation team unearthed several more artifacts, all of them porcelain. Jiang Wenjin sent them all to the studio for her and Wen Jingxi to repair.
Wen Jingxi's repair skills are now on par with Shen Qingshu's.
Since giving birth to Xiao Anning, Shen Qingshu has stopped working late into the night. With Wen Jingxi helping her out, her workload is not too heavy now.
At 3 p.m., Shen Qingshu received a phone call.
It was that female stunt double from that day.
Shen Qingshu arranged to meet her at the coffee shop downstairs.
The female stunt double is named Zhao Xinjie. She has starred in many action films in Hong Kong and is a martial arts actress with excellent professional skills and acting abilities.
In fact, Shen Qingshu recognized Zhao Xinjie immediately when she saw her on set that day.
She doesn't follow celebrities and rarely has time to watch dramas. The reason she remembers Zhao Xinjie is because of Tan Yiyi.
Although Tan Yiyi is highly skilled in martial arts, her exaggerated acting style is destined to be unsuitable for the big screen.
When Shen Qingshu first took over Huanxing Entertainment, she considered signing Tan Yiyi to the company.
But after seeing Tan Yiyi's past performance in H country, Yang Heng shook his head and sighed, saying that she was not suitable for the entertainment industry.
It's already difficult for female martial arts stars to become famous in the entertainment industry, and it's even more difficult for martial arts performers like Tan Yiyi, who have no acting talent, to make a name for themselves.
But Shen Qingshu still felt that Tan Yiyi's ability to persist for five years meant that she must still be passionate about it.
So she spoke with Tan Yiyi privately.
Unexpectedly, Tan Yiyi hugged her tightly, pleading, "Boss, this old servant is utterly loyal to the young lady, please don't send this old servant away!"
Shen Qingshu was both amused and exasperated. Once she realized that Tan Yiyi no longer had any aspirations for the entertainment industry, she felt much more at ease, as there was no need to reselect someone to protect Xiao Anning.
In the coffee shop, Zhao Xinjie looked haggard. The once dashing female star on the screen was long gone. Now, her eyes were lifeless, and her swollen eyelids told Shen Qingshu that she might have cried on her way here.
Shen Qingshu said, "I have a friend who really likes you. She practiced hard to become an excellent female martial arts star like you, and even worked as a stunt double in H country for five years."
Zhao Xinjie gave a bitter smile, "That was a long time ago."
Zhao Xinjie debuted at the age of 17. Coming from a single-parent family, her journey from an unknown stunt double to the screen was not entirely due to her hard work, but also partly due to luck.
Ten years ago, martial arts films were all the rage in Hong Kong, and one male martial arts star after another became famous, but there was no female martial arts star. She just happened to be there.
However, this luck did not last long.
In just five years, the film and television industry has undergone dramatic changes, and female martial arts stars have encountered a cold spell.
That year, palace dramas were all the rage in Hong Kong, and she was sidelined by her company.
After eight years, her contract expired, and Zhao Xinjie terminated her contract with the company. She brought her mother to the Beicheng film crew to work as an extra, starting as a stunt double.
She met her ex-husband, who was also an extra, on the film set. They fell in love and got married in just one year. There were sweet moments after marriage, but they were very short-lived.
"All I want to do now is find my child." Zhao Xinjie pulled herself out of her memories, her voice weary: "My ex-husband took my child away and hid him. He has a history of domestic violence, and I'm afraid he will hurt the child."
Shen Qingshu frowned and asked, "How many times has he hit you?"
Zhao Xinjie recalled, "He hit me for the first time when I was over six months pregnant. Then, he hit me again during my postpartum period. On the day our baby turned one month old, we argued about the celebration feast, and he hit me again. I was holding the baby at the time, and he didn't care about the baby at all. I protected the baby, and he pushed me against the wall, hitting the back of my head and causing a mild concussion. The baby's cries alerted the neighbors, who, fearing something might happen, called the police. At the police station, he was very cooperative, actively admitted his mistakes, and even wrote a guarantee. The police mediated, and since the baby was still young, I softened and forgave him that time..."
“But as anyone who has experienced domestic violence knows, once it happens, it happens again and it won’t change. He hit me a few more times, and I realized that things couldn’t go on like this, so I secretly installed cameras in the house. When my child was seven months old, he beat me so badly that I broke my ribs and had to be rushed to the hospital. It was that time, with the medical report and those surveillance videos, that I was finally free.”
Shen Qingshu pursed her lips, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Becoming a mother should be a plus for you, not a weakness."
Zhao Xinjie was taken aback.
"Your ex-husband is intentionally hiding the child, and judging from your words, he has a violent personality and may indeed harm the child to vent his anger. Therefore, you need to find your child as soon as possible."
“But now…” Zhao Xinjie’s nose stung with tears, filled with regret, “I don’t know where to look. I’ve called the police, but there’s still no news.”
"If you trust me, I can help you."
"You'll help me?" Zhao Xinjie looked at Shen Qingshu in disbelief. "Why would you help me?"
"Of course I have my own purposes."
Shen Qingshu took out a contract from her bag. "You were once a very popular martial arts actress in Hong Kong. After marriage, you suffered domestic violence. After your divorce, your son was taken away and hidden by your ex-husband. You can say that you bring your own media attention. I have a public service documentary to shoot. It is about 'Purple Ribbon Mothers'. There are many helpless mothers like you. Once the public service film is released, it should attract social attention."
Zhao Xinjie looked at Shen Qingshu: "Is it useful? I've also joined some groups, but many purple ribbon mothers haven't found their children for years..."
“That’s because this group has never attracted social attention.” Shen Qingshu put down the contract. “You can go back and think about it for two days before giving me an answer.”
Zhao Xinjie looked at the contract with a conflicted expression.
Shen Qingshu stood up. "I've already paid the bill. Miss Zhao, please call me anytime you're ready."
…
Shen Qingshu returned to her studio at 4:30 in the evening.
Tan Yiyi called.
During the two days that Xiao Anning stayed at Nanxi Mansion, Tan Yiyi kept a close watch on her.
Unless there are special circumstances, Tan Yiyi would not call Shen Qingshu.
Shen Qingshu answered the phone, her tone somewhat urgent, "Yiyi, what's wrong?"
"Ah Shu, don't be nervous, the children are all fine."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingshu's tense nerves relaxed.
Tan Yiyi continued, "Ah Shu, I wanted to tell you that I've discovered that Song Lanyin isn't so bad after all?"
Shen Qingshu paused, "What do you mean?"
"Just now, Zhang Yun was playing with the two kids in the neighborhood when one of the brats bullied Xiao Nian'an. Xiao Anning went up and gave that brat a good beating. The little girl is quite strong and quick-witted. After she finished, she grabbed Xiao Nian'an and ran away. I was watching from the side and didn't think the kids had been wronged, so I didn't go over. Who knew that the brat's grandmother would come and immediately try to hit the two kids. Zhang Yun stepped in to stop her, but the grandmother wouldn't let it go. At that time, Song Lanyin was on the phone nearby. She heard the commotion, hung up the phone, and came over."
"Song Lanyin kicked the child's grandmother to the ground with one kick. Let me tell you, that kick precisely avoided vital points. It's obvious she's trained. This Song Lanyin is definitely not simple!"
Shen Qingshu frowned. "You mean she also knows martial arts?"
"I feel like she's not just trained, she might even be more skilled than me!"
Shen Qingshu pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment before asking, "Were the children frightened?"
"Scared?" Tan Yiyi laughed. "They were clapping and cheering from the sidelines! Especially Xiao Anning, if Zhang Yun hadn't held her back, she probably would have gone up and kicked her!"
Shen Qingshu: "..."
"When the property management finally arrived, the old woman insisted that she had a fractured bone. It was obvious that she was trying to extort money. Song Lanyin immediately told the property management to call the police, and then told Zhang Yun to take the child home first. She and the old woman went to the police station to deal with the matter."
After listening, Shen Qingshu fell silent.
"Oh right, I think I saw Qin Yancheng this morning, rushing around with his emergency kit." Tan Yiyi said with some doubt. "But only Fu Siyan is at Nanxi Mansion. Could it be that Fu Siyan is sick?"
Shen Qingshu frowned slightly, and couldn't help but recall the words Wen Jingxi had said that night.
Could it be that Fu Siyan is really having health problems?
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