Chapter 57 Butterfly - A kiss that could kill...
An excellent actor must have a pair of expressive eyes that can convey joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, as well as pain and hesitation.
Ji Jiazhen and Jian Yi looked at each other, and Ji Jiazhen could see the complex emotions struggling in her eyes. They also gave her a firm and trustworthy look.
Jian Yi was the first to look away, put her hands on the ground, and slowly stood up. "...I'm going back."
Ji Jiazhen respected her choice. She watched Jian Yi's retreating figure. Her departing steps were far less resolute than her answer; each step was heavy and unsteady.
She refused to answer the question, but her wavering attitude revealed her true feelings.
The conditions Wen Qinsheng offered her would be hard to resist, but the things he asked her to do would certainly go against her own heart.
Ji Jiazhen didn't rush to speak; she didn't believe Jian Yi would willingly return to the private room like this. The brighter the flashing lights on the red carpet, the dimmer the ambient lighting in the private room; no one who has ever been glamorous can get used to days in darkness.
It took Jian Yi a full half minute to walk the three-meter-long path. She placed her hand on the door, her slender back revealing her inner turmoil, and then she opened the door a crack.
Three, two...
Ji Jiazhen counted down in her mind.
……one.
The door was closed again.
Jian Yi lowered her head, a strand of hair slipping from her shoulder to her back. She looked like a leaf swaying on a branch after being rained on, the kind that would fall to the ground silently.
She spoke softly, "Could you lend me seven million...?"
"Can."
Ji Jiazhen answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation. She wasn't some wealthy and benevolent saint; seven million was a huge sum for her, but in this situation, even if the other party was Jian Yi, she was willing to lend the money.
A life in one's twenties is young and vibrant; she doesn't want to see it wither away.
Things seem to have taken a turn for the better, and the answer to the question seems to be just around the corner.
But Jian Yi shook her head.
“He can give me more.”
She turned around, her wavering gone, replaced by an almost obsessive persistence.
“My pain was not caused by you, but the source of that pain is Ji Jiazhen.”
She felt completely drained and reached out to grab something, but found nothing and could only lean against the door.
"When you became famous, I was just a film school student who had acted in two low-budget web series. I was even proud of it and thought that I had one foot in the industry and deserved the title of a minor star."
As she recalled these events, her eyes were fixed on the ground where Ji Jiazhen was standing, a smile playing on her lips.
"Once in an art appreciation class, the teacher showed your famous work. While we were looking at it, a classmate tapped me on the shoulder and said that I suddenly felt like I looked like you from that angle. I was more excited at that time, after all, you were very popular and everyone knew you were beautiful. I gradually started to dress and style myself like you. I tried to make the resemblance between us seven out of three. I would check every photo I posted on my personal account several times to make sure that they all had some similarity to one of your photos before I posted them. This behavior did attract a lot of fans for me. I was only 19 years old at the time, and 300,000 fans were enough to make me a celebrity at school."
Ji Jiazhen's thoughts were pulled back to six years ago by her words. The memories weren't very pleasant, and she couldn't remember much else. The most memorable thing was filming a scene of falling into the water outdoors on a winter night when the temperature was minus twenty degrees Celsius.
"Then, my nightmare began."
Jian Yi's tone suddenly rose, and her voice turned cold.
“My account was shared in your fan group by your fans, who said I was copying you, imitating you, and copying you. My private messages were flooded with hundreds of curses and insults overnight. Every single one of them was driving me crazy, but I had to read them one by one to find out what had happened that made so many people curse me at the same time.”
"......"
"So, it was because of you."
Jian Yi became increasingly agitated and began walking towards Ji Jiazhen.
"Do you know how happy I was when you got into trouble? Do you know how happy I was when you retired from the entertainment industry? Do you know how satisfying it was to see so many people criticizing you every day!"
The secrets and grievances that had been building up in his heart for years were finally released, and Jian Yi actually felt a sense of satisfaction as if he had gotten his revenge.
“I never expected your agency to contact me, and I never expected them to arrange for me to take over all your work. I thought I had finally met my mentor and was lucky enough to find someone to recognize my talent. But it turns out that what they valued were the things I used to imitate about you. I will forever be labeled as Ji Jiazhen, and your name will stick to me like a curse.”
She suddenly lowered her voice and asked in an innocent manner, "Can you say you're innocent? Is my pain really unrelated to you?"
The person in front of him was so obsessed that she was insane. No matter what he said, it would be useless. Ji Jiazhen didn't want to waste time on her. He didn't respond to her questions or her long story. He just took a step to the side and left a sentence as he passed by her.
"You brought this on yourself."
These words deeply stung Jian Yi. She shouted at Ji Jiazhen's retreating figure, "You will get your retribution. You will be despised like me and end up even worse off than me!"
Ji Jiazhen pushed open the door and exchanged a glance with Wen Siyu, who was standing at the door.
"I will become more famous than you, I will gradually surpass you, I will..."
The door slammed shut, cutting off Jian Yi's voice.
Ji Jiazhen took a deep breath and coldly uttered two words.
"madman."
*
"Where to now?"
Ji Jiazhen continued walking with Wen Siyu down the clubhouse corridor, unaware of what the next step would be.
"Go see Li Zhuorong."
"She's here too?"
Wen Siyu pointed to the room at the end of the corridor, where a dim yellow light shone on the dark wall, dimmer than the others.
Ji Jiazhen's hand was held in Wen Siyu's palm. Her pace slowed, and she looked ahead, asking softly, "Why do you know so much about this place?"
They even know which private room Li Zhuorong will be in.
"During the time we lost contact, I wasn't idle, except for recovering from my injury."
Wen Qinsheng's threat was everywhere. If he wasn't brought down, he would always be under his control, especially since he had his eye on Ji Jiazhen.
Ji Jiazhen inexplicably recalled the kiss she had been caught kissing with Duan Qiyin, and at that moment, she felt a strange sense of guilt, as if she had been caught in bed with someone else. After licking her slightly dry lips, she asked him, as if trying to make conversation, "What...did you do?"
Wen Siyu noticed her sudden unease and replied first, "Looking for this place?" Then he gave her a probing look and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
She changed the subject, looking at the door right in front of her: "Should we just go in?"
He didn't press further, his gaze sliding from her eyes to her lips, his eyes filled with "Oh~ It's something I can't tell you." His smug look made Ji Jiazhen slap him on the arm. Only after being hit did he regain his composure and raise his hand to enter the password to open the door.
The door clicked open, startling the person inside, who instinctively turned around to look.
"you……"
Li Zhuorong looked puzzled when she saw Wen Siyu, but her tone changed abruptly when she saw Ji Jiazhen behind him, "...You?"
"haven't seen you for a long time."
As they were old acquaintances, Ji Jiazhen greeted Li Zhuorong upon entering, but Li Zhuorong ignored him and instead looked at Wen Siyu with a wary expression.
Of course she recognized whose son he was.
"Are you waiting for Wen Qinsheng?"
After Wen Siyu sat down, he looked up at her with a faint smile on his lips. He had a carefree and slightly wicked air about him, which was unlike his usual style. However, he was just like the person sitting next to him.
She completely corrupted him, from head to toe, inside and out.
Li Zhuorong forced herself to remain calm, but the long period of anxious waiting had long since worn away her composure and calmness. In front of the two young people, she appeared rather uneasy.
"He's not coming."
Before she could reply, Wen Siyu continued.
Ji Jiazhen's eyes casually swept over Wen Siyu's profile, then slid to Li Zhuorong. After seeing the panic in her eyes, she smiled silently and began to survey the private room.
Li Zhuorong was indeed waiting for Wen Qinsheng. She had called him eight times and waited here for three hours. The longer she waited, the colder she felt. During the wait, she gradually realized that she had been abandoned, but she was unwilling to accept it. She did not believe that Wen Qinsheng would really go so far as to abandon her. After all, she had done so many things for him over the years. Even if there was no affection, there was still mutual benefit.
But the appearance of Wen Siyu and Ji Jiazhen constantly eroded her psychological defenses, forcing her to see reality step by step.
"What exactly are you trying to say?!"
Ji Jiazhen took in her breakdown without feeling anything; he just thought that yet another "star" had been brought down to rock bottom.
For Li Zhuorong, the word "fame" is something from a distant past she can hardly remember; she will never have a second chance to become famous in her life.
Wen Siyu began to negotiate with her: "Work with me, tell me everything you know, and I can guarantee you acting opportunities in the future."
Li Zhuorong's eyes were full of suspicion: "You're using Wen Qinsheng's surname to talk to me about cooperation? Why should I trust you?"
“You may not believe me,” he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, “but you know too many of Wen Qinsheng’s secrets. You’re a ticking time bomb to him, too dangerous. Do you think he’ll just let you go?”
He deliberately lowered his voice, guiding Li Zhuorong to think further.
"Dead men can't talk. Wen Qinsheng already knew this trick by heart, didn't he? You're familiar with it too, aren't you?"
The question's ending made all three of them start thinking, and the same person came to mind.
Meng Xu.
Ji Jiazhen grasped Wen Siyu's forearm with a hint of comfort, making no other move. She knew that if Wen Siyu wanted to bring down Wen Qinsheng, he had to go through Li Zhuorong. Even though he knew she played a role in Meng Xu's death, he still had to extend an olive branch of cooperation.
Li Zhuorong still hadn't dispelled her doubts; her brows were furrowed, clearly showing her worry.
"Telling you everything I know will only hasten my death."
Wen Siyu chuckled, mocking her for not being able to process what she was seeing.
"I told you, I can guarantee you'll have acting opportunities in the future."
Only if you're alive can you make movies.
These words caused Li Zhuorong's attitude to waver. She lowered her eyes to weigh the pros and cons, her whole being conflicted and hesitant.
Wen Siyu wasn't in a hurry to answer. Seeing Li Zhuorong's struggle was enough. Clinging to her desire to live, she wouldn't refuse. He turned his head to meet Ji Jiazhen's gaze, raised an eyebrow, and asked her with his eyes if she had anything to say.
Ji Jiazhen crossed his arms and looked at Li Zhuorong, who was deep in thought. He got up before Wen Siyu and walked towards the door.
Actions speak louder than words. Wen Siyu didn't ask any more questions, followed behind her, and opened the door for her without asking.
The moment the door opened, Ji Jiazhen suddenly stopped. Her figure was divided into light and shadow. She turned around, then turned back, stood behind Li Zhuorong, put her hand on Li Zhuorong's shoulder, and leaned close to her ear.
Li Zhuorong was startled by the sudden temperature change and sat stiffly on the sofa, listening to Ji Jiazhen speak.
"You want that movie directed by Director Tan?"
Li Zhuorong has been quite troubled by this matter lately. Before Wen Qinsheng abandoned her, it was a done deal; the female lead role in that drama was practically tailor-made for her, and if she could land it, her comeback would be just around the corner. But without Wen Qinsheng, Director Tan wouldn't focus on her anymore, since she wasn't the only one who could play the role.
"The day before yesterday, Director Tan sent me a script."
Ji Jiazhen leaned against her like a ghost, his voice soft and gentle, yet every word was stimulating her eardrums.
"Tell me, should I answer or not?"
*
On the third day of November, Li Zhuorong took the initiative to come to his door. This was expected; smart people choose the right path, and Li Zhuorong wasn't stupid enough to go down a dead-end road.
She was fully armed, afraid of being recognized, probably trying to avoid Wen Qinsheng's eyes and ears. She only let her guard down after entering Wen Siyu's house.
Wen Siyu took the USB drive from Li Zhuorong and carefully examined its contents. Ji Jiazhen sat next to him, eating an apple with a fork, not particularly interested in the evidence on the USB drive, but rather eager to hear Li Zhuorong's story.
Some things happened so long ago that nothing was preserved back then, and now it is indeed up to Li Zhuorong to tell them.
“Meng Xu…didn’t die from complications during childbirth…”
Her first words made Wen Siyu look up from his computer, and Ji Jiazhen slowed down her chewing, turning the fork halfway between her fingers.
Wen Siyu seemed to have her words replaying in his mind several times before finally saying in a deep voice, "Say it again."
Li Zhuorong was startled by his sudden dark expression, her voice trembling slightly: "She...she committed suicide...she was forced to commit suicide by Wen Qinsheng..."
Ji Jiazhen frowned, moved her hand to Wen Siyu's hand, and pressed down on it with a little force. "Let her finish speaking."
"Not long after Wen Qinsheng married her, his true nature was revealed. He wanted to...want to send her to someone else's bed. As it turned out, Meng Xu found out she was pregnant, so Wen Qinsheng set his sights on me..."
Tears welled in Li Zhuorong's eyes. From the very beginning, she had no choice. From the moment Wen Qinsheng set his sights on her, her fate was sealed.
Ji Jiazhen knew the story would be long and drawn out, but she didn't have the patience and wanted to skip straight to the end. She also knew what Wen Siyu was most concerned about right now, so she interrupted Li Zhuorong: "Just tell me how Wen Qinsheng forced Meng Xu to commit suicide."
Li Zhuorong paused for two seconds, as if recalling what had happened back then, "He... Meng Xu somehow found out about his relationship with me, and heartbroken, she wanted a divorce. Wen Qinsheng disagreed, and they argued for many days. Meng Xu's postpartum depression went untreated. On the day the argument was at its worst, Wen Qinsheng took me to their marital home, to the master bedroom... the door wasn't closed, and Meng Xu was in the next room..."
Ji Jiazhen could clearly feel Wen Siyu's hands trembling.
"She suddenly burst in, demanding to know if death was the only way to spare her. She was emotionally broken down at that point; Wen Qinsheng is a madman... he's been insane for a long time..."
Li Zhuorong muttered the same sentence to himself.
"He walked up to Meng Xu, naked, and choked her. He was ruthless. He asked Meng Xu why she couldn't be as gentle as before, why she had to divorce him, and why she couldn't be as sensible and obedient as other women. He dragged her to the balcony. Meng Xu was choked to the point of near death, and then he threw her onto the balcony."
Upon hearing this, Wen Siyu could no longer sit still. His blood rushed to his brain, and the veins on his forehead bulged. He was being held down by Ji Jiazhen.
“I didn’t see what happened clearly. I was hiding under the covers, too ashamed to face anyone. I was forced into it... I had no choice. I just heard a thud, and when I looked out, Meng Xu was no longer on the balcony.”
A dirty and ugly past.
asphyxia.
Jump off a building.
This is the true cause of Meng Xu's death.
This is the suicide that Li Zhuorong mentioned.
Ji Jiazhen's chest heaved with anger. He slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly: "This is murder!"
Li Zhuorong was already in tears, covering her head with her hands: "If I don't comply, I'll become the next one!"
Wen Siyu almost lost control halfway through the story, but when he finished, he remained silent, quietly scrolling the mouse, his eyes scanning the last paragraph of the document, before slowly getting up.
Ji Jiazhen knew him too well. In that instant, their brainwaves suddenly clicked, and she guessed what he was going to do when he got up. So she reached out and grabbed his wrist.
“Wen Siyu…”
A single whispered word earned a passionate kiss.
Wen Siyu placed his hand behind her head and kissed her deeply, but not passionately. It was a kiss that only caused pain; his teeth dug into her lips, making her eyes sting with pain.
He kissed her as he pushed her hands away. After making sure nothing would stop him from leaving, he turned his head back, exchanged a glance with Ji Jiazhen, grabbed the car keys from the table, turned around, and strode out.
"Wen Siyu!" Ji Jiazhen tripped over the stool and couldn't keep up with him. By the time she reached the door, the engine roared to life.
Something bad is about to happen.
She hurriedly ran back inside to find her phone and dialed Fang Wei's number.
"Go find Wen Qinsheng! Go now! Stop Wen Siyu!"
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