Chapter 32: The Star's Identity is Revealed, and Every Year the Hero Saves the Beauty...
Early winter nights come early; by seven o'clock, it was completely dark. The side roads surrounding the film and television base were quiet and deserted, with only a few streetlights casting a dim yellow glow in the cold wind.
After stepping out of the elevator, Lin Suxing wrapped her coat tighter around herself. The intense concentration she had shown during the audition relaxed, and she looked somewhat tired.
The encouragement the director and producer gave him earlier made him feel like he had a chance to get the role.
Although the system had already revealed that the world she inhabited was a novel with skewed values, written to glorify the protagonist's dramatic nature, and that many things in the world were fundamentally unfair, entirely dependent on the protagonist's halo...
But it's still very gratifying to have my past efforts recognized.
Two years ago, his adoptive mother, who had been bedridden for a long time, immediately became excited when she learned that he had entered the entertainment industry, saying, "Will we be able to see our star on TV from now on?"
Unfortunately, Lin Suxing's career did not develop well later on. By the time he had the opportunity to appear on screen and be seen by everyone, his adoptive mother had already passed away.
Thinking of this, Lin Suxing couldn't help but feel sad and melancholy.
The underground parking lot was so empty that you could hear your own footsteps echoing. The newly opened building had a low occupancy rate; under the pale lights, only a few cars were parked here and there, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of new renovations.
Lin Suxing pressed the car key, and a black SUV in the distance flashed its lights.
The system suddenly shouted loudly, the sound echoing in Lin Suxing's ears, deafeningly loud.
"Host, emergency! Your life is under serious threat. You are hereby issued the highest-level main mission [Escape from criminal gang and protect yourself]! You will receive 1000 points upon completion! Please run immediately away from where your vehicle is parked!"
Lin Suxing: !?
"What the hell?" Although Lin Suxing had offended many people, he had been behaving himself lately. The only thing he could think of was that Lin Ke wanted to find someone to beat him up.
Before the brain can process the system's message, the body has already taken a few steps toward parking area D, driven by the inertia of thought.
Suddenly, Lin Suxing caught a glimpse of a dark shadow moving behind the supporting pillar next to him out of the corner of his eye!
A rough, dark hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm!
In a flash, Lin Suxing almost instinctively pulled back his arm and spun around, narrowly avoiding the hand.
We've been targeted!
The moment this thought flashed through his mind, Lin Suxing didn't hesitate at all. He turned around and ran towards the deeper part of the parking lot, where the vehicles were more concentrated!
"Chase!" A rough, low growl and the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind.
The young man was like a nimble fish, weaving swiftly between the cold steel vehicles, using the vehicles as cover, constantly changing direction, trying to shake off his pursuers and create blind spots.
All I could hear was my own rapid breathing and the approaching footsteps behind me; my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.
Just as he was about to be overtaken, Lin Suxing suddenly caught sight of a bright red "Emergency Exit" sign on the wall ahead.
The system also reminded you at this moment: "Host, go inside! Quick! There's an emergency water tank inside the door. Use the tank to block the door horizontally; the width is just right!"
The heavy footsteps and shouts for companions outside the door were almost at the doorway!
"Damn it!" Lin Suxing cursed angrily, and with all his strength, he overturned the heavy water tank. With a loud "bang," the round water tank rolled precisely behind the door and got stuck under the doorknob.
Almost simultaneously, a violent banging and cursing came from outside the door. The door was shaking violently, but it was temporarily blocked by a bucket of water and could not be pushed open for a while.
The banging on the door grew louder and louder; the makeshift roadblock clearly wouldn't hold for long!
He rushed over and yanked open the heavy, dusty iron door, revealing a narrow, dark shaft filled with the smell of engine oil, with cold steel cables and rough cement walls right in front of him.
Without hesitation, he squeezed in sideways and locked the door from the inside with a "click".
Almost at the same second the door lock clicked shut, a loud bang came from the fire escape, clearly indicating the door had been forced open. The chaotic footsteps and angry shouts were exceptionally clear in the empty parking lot, gradually approaching the elevator shaft.
"Dad! Where is he?"
"Search him! He can't have gone far!"
Outside the door, the furious shouts of the criminal gangs could be faintly heard.
Inside the door, Lin Suxing leaned against the cold, rough cement wall, holding his breath amidst the heavy darkness and the faint sound of steel cables rubbing together; only his heart pounded violently in his chest.
The system, being a mere spectator, had never seen anything like this before: "What's going on here?! I almost thought I wasn't in a BL novel about the entertainment industry or some kind of spy thriller!"
The air in the cramped repair room was stuffy and cold. Lin Suxing's hands trembled as he pulled his phone from his pocket. The faint light from the screen was particularly glaring in the absolute darkness, illuminating his pale, bewildered face.
His first thought was of his brother, Lin Siyi. His fingers flew across the keypad as he unlocked the phone, found the familiar number, and dialed it.
"Beep...beep..."
There was only a brief busy tone in the earpiece, and then the signal bar at the top of the screen turned into a red cross.
No service available.
The chilling reminder was like the last straw, breaking Lin Suxing's last shred of composure.
We're doomed.
They'll find their way here sooner or later.
Lin Suxing slid down weakly, curling herself into a tight ball, squeezing into the narrow, dead-end corner at the deepest part of the elevator shaft, formed by steel cables and concrete structures. It was as if this would give her a pitiful sense of security.
Outside, the rough footsteps and curses did not fade away; instead, they seemed to linger nearby, searching.
"Damn it, where did you run off to?"
"The elevator went up, he must have taken the elevator up, damn it!"
"Go up and search, search layer by layer!"
"Split up and search! That kid's got soft skin, he can't have gone far!"
Every faintly heard line of conversation struck Lin Suxing's heart like a heavy hammer.
He bit his lower lip hard to suppress the chattering sound of his teeth.
They would soon realize that the elevator hadn't reached this floor and that he hadn't taken it at all. Although the door to the maintenance room was hidden, it wasn't entirely undetectable.
Once they conducted a thorough search...
Fear washed over me like a cold tide, coursing through my limbs and bones.
Lin Suxing knew perfectly well that he absolutely could not fight against those burly men who were clearly thugs at the same time.
Despair is like the darkness in this elevator shaft, so thick it's suffocating.
With nowhere else to turn, almost out of an instinct to vent his fear, he opened the system's companion module with trembling fingers.
A pixelated sky, a blend of warm orange and deep purple, filled the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, with a few simple white stars dotting the distance.
Inside, a long, dark brown pixelated conference table occupies the center, its surface meticulously rendered to simulate a smooth wood texture.
There were seven or eight black leather high-back pixelated chairs on the table, each with a delicate sheen.
In the center of the picture, the chibi-style character [Niannian] is sitting in the main seat.
He was wearing a dark gray pixelated suit, with a tiny dark red pixelated bow tie at the collar of his white shirt.
His hair was still black, but it was combed meticulously, making him appear much more composed.
He tilted his head slightly, as if listening, holding a silver pixelated fountain pen in his small hand, the nib occasionally tapping lightly on the virtual file icon on the desktop.
The stark contrast between the tranquility and peace in the virtual world and the cold, dark, and cramped repair room in reality made Lin Suxing feel even more acutely the difficulty of his current situation.
Lin Suxing huddled in the darkness, her cold, stiff fingers laboriously typing a line of text on the screen by feel, and sent it:
What should I do every year? Someone wants to arrest me, and I'm terrified.
At this moment, it was more like a confessional hole for self-comfort. He didn't expect Niannian to be able to help him in any way; the other party was just a virtual character. But his emotions had already been driven to the brink of collapse by fear.
This is just a last, illusory straw that someone trapped in a desperate situation instinctively grasps at.
When he was at his wit's end, he needed a strong mental support, and Niannian, who had "slept in his arms" the night before, seemed to be the only option.
He closed his eyes, pressed his forehead against his cold knees, trying to block out all the terrible sounds from the outside world, and alone endured the helplessness and panic that was almost consuming him.
However, a few seconds later, an urgent question popped up below the pixelated figure in the companion module.
[Where are you? Tell me your exact location.]
Don't be afraid, someone will come to rescue you. All you need to do is protect yourself until they arrive, okay?
Lin Suxing sniffed, not sending the address to the other party: [...They were chasing me, so I hid in the elevator shaft maintenance room. They haven't found me yet.]
He didn't expect Nian Nian to actually crawl out of the screen to protect him, so sending out the specific location was meaningless.
[Okay.] The scene behind the little man suddenly changed from a conference room to a corridor.
[There's no signal, and I can't make calls...] Lin Suxing felt more and more like crying as she spoke.
If no one cared about him, perhaps he could still manage to remain calm and continue thinking about solutions.
But it was precisely because he showed too much concern every year that his panic, grievance and fear could no longer be concealed and all of them turned into waves that crashed against him.
He really wanted to cry.
Just then, the outer door was kicked open: "Hey? There's another door here. Have you searched inside?"
*
The heavy solid wood doors shut out all outside noise, while soft, bright light streamed down from the diamond-patterned ceiling.
Seven or eight people sat around the long conference table; all were key figures at the helm of a vast business empire, and the atmosphere was heavy.
“The U.S.’s Section 301 list this time is too broad,” said a senior executive surnamed Jiang, whose hair is gray and whose main business is precision machinery. He pointed to the tablet on the table. “Nearly 40% of our group’s export products are on the list, with additional tariffs reaching 25%. This is going to swallow up 40% of our export profits.”
In an instant, the suppressed whispers in the conference room became even more unrestrained, almost drowning out the old man's voice.
Recently, the United States announced that it would impose high tariffs on goods from many countries, including China. This move was like a bombshell dropped on the global market, quickly triggering a huge tsunami in the international trade and economic field.
The shadow of tariffs quickly loomed over China, far away in East Asia, where the heads of many large conglomerates were deeply concerned about the resulting disruption to global supply chains and market uncertainty.
In order to jointly address potential shocks, these business leaders immediately held an emergency meeting to discuss how to mitigate risks through strategies such as supply chain restructuring and market diversification, and strive to stabilize their position in the turbulent trade landscape.
“We must take action to deal with this.” The one who spoke was Wang Shunduo. Because of the special status of the Wang family, many senior executives of the group followed Wang Shunduo’s lead.
He was dressed in a perfectly tailored dark gray suit, leaning back in his chair with a relaxed posture, but his tone was calm and unquestionable: "The feedback from Washington is that this is a structural adjustment, and there is no possibility of loosening in the short term. My suggestion is to immediately launch the 'third-country transit' plan."
The Wang family's business empire is vast, involving a large amount of import and export business, and they have already made corresponding contingency plans for the new policies and regulations that the U.S. president may introduce after taking office.
Wang Shunduo's gaze swept across the room as he continued his calm analysis: "The first choice is the bonded zones in Vietnam and Malaysia. Our electronic product modules can be finally assembled there, and we can apply for local certificates of origin. Although this will increase logistics and operating costs by about 8%, it will completely avoid the 25% tariff, which is currently the best way to mitigate losses."
“Mr. Wang’s plan is feasible, but there are two problems.” Another middle-aged woman working in home appliance manufacturing frowned. “First, the supply chain transfer takes time. What will happen to our existing inventory and goods already in transit? Second, with such a large-scale transfer of production capacity, can the local infrastructure and labor skills keep up?”
Li Xinian, who had been silent all along, slightly raised his eyes. His gray-blue eyes, hidden in the shadows formed by his brow bones under the light, appeared particularly deep.
He unconsciously stroked a platinum fountain pen with his fingertips, his tone calm, as if he had already thought of a solution: "Inventory and goods in transit can be handled by using multiple offshore companies registered in different regions. Orders can be broken up and mixed into containers of other unrestricted goods, entering the U.S. in batches under the guise of 'samples' or 'low-value accessories.' Although cumbersome, it can minimize current losses."
"Judging from the attitude of the United States, not only is there no possibility of easing in the short term, but we also need to be prepared for tariffs to increase further." Li Xinian's tone was calm, shattering the remaining illusions in the hearts of most people present.
In recent years, Li Xinian has taken over many of the Li family's businesses and has become a frequent attendee of such high-level meetings. His presence at this meeting represents multiple groups behind the Li family, giving him significant influence within the meeting.
Despite his young age, his ruthless methods and vicious strategic vision should not be underestimated by those who rely on their seniority.
"What about production capacity?" Chairman Wang, sitting on the other side of the conference table, tried to keep his tone friendly, but his furrowed brows betrayed his displeasure. "I understand what President Li means, but are we supposed to voluntarily reduce production? We've been expanding production capacity for the past few years, and now suddenly we're saying we have to reduce it..."
"It's a strategic contraction."
Li Xinian corrected the other party indifferently, without any concern for whether it would offend them: "High tariffs will inevitably lead to a contraction in demand, and maintaining production will only trigger a price war and inventory backlog. At the same time, the United States' high tariffs will trigger a global tax war, and countries in Europe and South America will inevitably introduce corresponding policies to retaliate. We cannot wait until the shoe drops before we start planning to reduce production capacity, or it will be too late."
He looked at Chairman Wang and said firmly, "Shifting 15%-20% of our production capacity to Europe and ASEAN will reduce profit margins, but it will preserve our fundamentals."
Wang Shunduo chimed in at the opportune moment, providing data support: "Our assessment model shows that if production is not reduced, your inventory turnover days will increase by at least 50% in the next two quarters, and cash flow pressure will increase dramatically."
The two worked together seamlessly, and in just a few tens of minutes, they flawlessly packaged their pre-determined strategy.
A brief silence fell over the meeting room, broken only by the low hum of the central air conditioning. These business giants were all rapidly weighing the pros and cons.
Finally, Chairman Wang slowly nodded: "Let's establish a joint working group to coordinate the transfer and production reduction plans."
He glanced at Li Xinian and Wang Shunduo, his tone intriguing: "To avoid our own people fighting each other in third-party markets."
The proposal was seconded by everyone.
Before the storm hit, these people who control the economic lifeline had reached a consensus and began discussing the specific details of the joint working group and the scale of production cuts.
He would take this opportunity to shut up his cousin who had been shouting insults at his mother.
"These are some of my current ideas; you can take a look." Wang Shunduo instructed his secretary to begin distributing paper documents one by one.
In an instant, only the rustling of papers and the low hum of the air conditioner filled the conference room.
Li Xinian casually glanced at the paper. He and Wang Shunduo had finalized the plan together, so he knew all the details. This was just a formality.
[What should I do every year? Someone wants to arrest me, and I'm terrified.]
Just then, several wisps of pale blue light suddenly condensed rapidly in the air in front of him, forming a line of text.
The familiar scent of moss and pine quietly filled the air as these words appeared. Li Xinian's pupils suddenly contracted, and his gray-blue eyes instantly froze.
"Where are you? Tell me your exact location."
Suddenly, a warning sign with a red indicator appeared in the air, clearly marking Lin Suxing's location.
[Your partner is facing a serious life-threatening situation]
He didn't even wait for the person speaking to finish before abruptly pushing aside his heavy solid wood chair and standing up. The screeching sound of the chair legs scraping against the marble floor shattered the serious atmosphere of the meeting room.
Under the astonished gazes of the entire audience, he stood up, his composure during the strategic discussion vanished, and he became like a sharp blade suddenly drawn from its sheath.
Excuse me.
Wang Shunduo frowned, wanting to say something, but only heard him say coldly as he passed by: "You decide on the follow-up plan."
Before he finished speaking, the tall man had already disappeared through the conference room door. His hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, fading into the distance.
Wang Shunduo suppressed his surprise to avoid arousing suspicion from others: "President Li has other urgent matters to attend to, so I will continue to chair the meeting here."
Li Xinian strode out of the conference room without looking at anyone, as if none of them were worthy of his glance or concern at that moment.
[...They were chasing me, so I hid in the elevator shaft maintenance room. They haven't found me yet.]
Li Xinian murmured to himself, knowing that the other person could hear him this way: "Don't be afraid, someone will come to save you. All you have to do is protect yourself before someone arrives, okay?"
As the call was made, the headset connected to the phone was already engaged:
"Mr. Li, I'm Xiao Wang, the manager of Binhai Commercial Building. May I ask if you...?"
Li Xinian interrupted the person in charge of Binhai Commercial Building and quickly ordered, "Emergency situation: Block all entrances to the parking lot in Block B of Binhai Commercial Building. Set the elevators to the first floor and turn on all emergency exit lights."
In the corridor, the assistant quickly caught up: "Mr. Li, the car is already..."
"The keys." Li Xinian reached out and snatched the keys from the Bugatti. "You guys follow behind."
[No signal, can't make calls...]
"Wait for me." Li Xinian deftly opened the carbon fiber butterfly door of the Bugatti Chiron and pressed the start button.
In the underground garage, the deep blue Bugatti headlights illuminated, and the moment the start button was pressed, the 8.0-liter W16 quad-turbocharged engine roared with a heart-pounding sound, the 1600 horsepower echoing throughout the underground garage.
Li Xinian ripped off his tie and threw it onto the passenger seat, a terrifying storm raging in his eyes. The steering wheel groaned softly in his hands, and the car accelerated to an extremely high speed the moment it left the underground parking garage!
He was extremely glad that he had chosen to hold the meeting in a landmark building in the newly developed industrial zone, rather than the Huifeng Building in the CBD, which they usually frequented.
The Binhai Commercial Building is not far from here, but he has never felt that the road is so long.
Since giving the address, Li Xinian has not received any reply from the other party. The abrupt end of the text seemed to indicate that Lin Suxing was in danger.
A restless and angry feeling rose within him, a desire to destroy everything. Li Xinian pursed his lips, his right thumb clenched too tightly into his palm, trying to use the pain in his palm to bring himself back to his senses.
He must be sober.
Only he... can save Lin Suxing.
The tires scraped against the ground, kicking up blue smoke, as the Bugatti Chiron shot out of the underground parking garage like an arrow.
As dusk fell and the streetlights came on, the Bugatti weaved wildly through the traffic, its dashboard needles constantly veering to the right.
The traffic light at the intersection ahead turned red, but instead of slowing down, he gently turned the steering wheel to cut into the oncoming lane. The active rear wing automatically rose to provide downforce when cornering at high speed.
The Bugatti completed the overtaking maneuver with a perfect tangential trajectory, leaving the three bodyguard vehicles following closely behind far behind!
The sleek sports car sped along the road, causing other cars to swerve to avoid it, its tires screeching as it turned.
The neon lights stretched into blurry straight lines on the car window. Li Xinian stared intently ahead, his mind filled with the image of that person who would shiver in his arms on a stormy night.
"Don't be afraid, I'll be there soon," he whispered to the air, as if the person crying for help could hear him.
*
"Are you stupid! Doesn't the door of Nidie say 'Elevator Shaft Maintenance Room'? There's no way in here, who would go in here!"
"Try cursing me again! What if he's hiding in here?"
"Then open the door! If you don't, kneel down and lick my shoes, you idiot!"
"Say that again, you little devil!"
The people outside didn't seem to be united; they suddenly started arguing in front of the elevator.
"I've disliked you for a long time. Someone like you who does nothing but eat and drink for free in our gang and all you do is make sarcastic remarks should get out!"
"Does someone who's all brawn and no brains have the right to talk to me like that?!"
"Let's fight then! Let's see who's the boss! You little pike, do you think you can beat me? You're just all talk and no action!"
"Alright, stop arguing!"
"Shut up, is this the time for you two to argue?!"...
Other people arrived and interrupted the two who were arguing fiercely.
Lin Suxing was on edge, his eyes fixed on the tightly closed door.
But perhaps because of the bet of "kneeling down and licking his shoes," the person who initially approached the elevator shaft maintenance room to open the door ultimately did not open it and silently walked away.
Lin Suxing had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard someone outside say, "They've punctured all the tires on his car in the parking lot. Even if he sneaks back and tries to drive away, he won't be able to!"
"Go and continue searching. Stop fighting amongst yourselves. The task Brother Huang gave us will be very rewarding if we do it well! Enough for us to live a carefree life for a month!"
The handsome young man in the darkness sharpened his gaze: Brother Huang?
Who is Brother Huang?
From the very beginning, when someone suddenly tried to arrest him, he felt completely bewildered. After all, he had been a law-abiding citizen for many years, and he was utterly powerless to fight back against this action-movie-like scenario.
Within just ten minutes, the system had collected and organized the key information and reported to him at the opportune moment: "Host, these people were sent by Huang Zhuoyuan, the popular male actor that everyone knows. He has been trying to curry favor with Zhao Wei, the fat guy you spilled wine on the Aurora a couple of days ago. Because of this relationship, he wants to have you arrested and tortured in order to curry favor with Zhao Wei."
"Huang Zhuoyuan? Is that the actor who auditioned with me just now?" Lin Suxing was stunned.
The other party has always presented himself as a positive public figure on screen, cultivating a warm and caring image of a kind and loving man who often does charity work. That's why he gained countless fans in a short period of time, most of whom are girlfriends who have been hurt by scumbags in real life.
But in reality, Huang Zhuoyuan is actually a despicable person involved with organized crime and powerful figures, who is willing to sell his body to curry favor with them?
Although I've known for a long time that you can only know a person's face but not their heart in the industry, this is such a huge contrast!
"What are you doing! Don't move! What are you doing in the parking lot!"
Suddenly, a loud and forceful shout resounded throughout the entire corridor!
"Are you residents or visitors of the Binhai Commercial Building? Show your identification! Don't cause trouble here!" Following that angry shout, a dense chorus of footsteps quickly passed by the fire door of the maintenance room, making a soft, rustling sound.
These commotions rekindled Lin Suxing's hope: "Has someone arrived?"
The system's voice cracked with excitement: "It's security! The security team at Binhai Commercial Building spotted them running around on every floor of the building, shouting and pulling at residents in the shops, so they came down!"
The iron door to the maintenance room was cold. Lin Suxing tiptoed toward the fire door, pressed his ear tightly against it, and listened intently to the sounds outside.
First came a series of chaotic footsteps and fierce shouts—the voices of the building's security guards—followed by several men's resentful curses and the sound of them running away into the distance.
Silence quickly returned outside, a deathly silence.
Lin Suxing's heart was still pounding, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.
Did those people really leave? Or are they hiding behind some pillar, waiting for him to walk right into their trap?
Fear clung to him like cold vines, making his limbs go weak.
He huddled in the darkness and waited for several long minutes until he was sure there was no more sound outside. Then, with trembling hands, he pushed open the door a crack very slowly.
The corridor was deserted, with only the emergency lights casting a stark white glow.
He took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and slipped out, tiptoeing along the wall as he cautiously moved towards the elevator lobby. Every step was light and slow, his ears perked up, alertly watching for any slight movement.
Just as he was about to reach the corner of the elevator lobby, a figure emerged from around the corner without warning.
Lin Suxing was so frightened that she almost screamed. She took a step back and her back slammed heavily against the cold wall.
However, what came into his view was Li Xinian's handsome face, which had no expression.
The man was wearing a crisp, dark overcoat, as if he had just left a formal occasion and was simply passing by. He even had a folded document in his hand.
Lin Suxing was still in shock. Her light brown eyes were wide open, like a frightened rabbit. Her lips trembled, and she couldn't speak for a moment.
He had no idea why Li Xinian would appear at this time and place so "coincidentally".
How did he end up here? It must have been a chance encounter. Anyway, it's great!
Her tense nerves relaxed instantly upon seeing that familiar face. A tremendous sense of security, coupled with a belated feeling of grievance, welled up in her heart, making Lin Suxing's nose sting with tears: "...President Li."
Li Xinian's gaze lingered on his pale, terrified face for a moment, confirming that he was unharmed except for being frightened. Only then did his heart, which had been hanging in suspense for half an hour, silently return to its place.
He stepped forward and, with remarkable ease, reached out to gently brush the dust off Lin Suxing's shoulder that had accumulated from the repair shop.
"Were you scared?" he asked in a low voice, his tone seemingly calm, but the barely perceptible slowing of his voice betrayed his unspoken concern.
Wait, how could Boss Li know that he was just scared?
-----------------------
Author's note: The seme should rush to his wife's side immediately when she's in danger [rainbow fart]. This is the basic quality a seme should have. Who agrees and who disagrees!
It's not far from the day when the stars are discovered and Li Da Lao will be discovered every year, hehe [Let me see]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
