CH 85

She wasn’t sure whether it was her soles was too slippery or the assistant was too impatient, but Han Qi watched as the assistant slip forward and her face slammed against all the glass debris on the ground, and she didn’t have enough time to save her.

The screams alarmed everyone as they hurriedly rushed over to help the assistant up. The glass residue had cut her face and the assistant was bleeding all over. Some of the glass debris had pierce into her flesh and there was even a piece that was embedded in the corner of her eyebrow, which made her look extremely terrifying.

Some girls couldn’t help but scream while others turned away.

“My god!”

“Hurry, hurry! Call an ambulance!”

“It’s too late. Let’s drive her over. Hurry!”

Everyone didn’t wait for Han Qi to speak as they help the assistant out. The director quickly called his driver over and asked them to rush to the hospital.

“Han Jie, are you okay?”

“Han Jie, why don’t you go back to the nanny’s car and take a break? Let us clean up here!”

“Oh, my god, it’s so scary. Why did she slip suddenly?”

“It’s the second case today. It’s something really evil!”

“I wonder if the crew will stop work…”

Chaotic voices sounded in Han Qi’s ears, but she didn’t hear a word.

Her assistant had an accident in front of her own eyes and fell so badly that everyone was distracted and didn’t notice her.

On the same day, there was two accidents in a row. The crew was terrified and seeing that most of the starring actors were in no state to perform, the director had to order a half-day break and continue filming tomorrow.

Back at the hotel, Han Qi sat by the bed and called her agent and asked her to go to the hospital to visit the injured assistant and then send her over a new one. Just from a look she knew that the injury was serious, and she most likely had to undergo surgery, so she won’t be able to return to work in the short term.

The agent expressed surprise that so many things had happened to the crew in a single day and comforted her for a while.

Han Qi didn’t need these useless comforts. She asked the agent, “Do you know any reliable masters who help people with these things? I think I… The crew may need to exorcise some evil spirits!”

The agent said, “There’s an artist in our company named Liu Fei. You should know her. I heard that she usually deals with several masters, but I don’t recommend looking for her. If she opens her mouth and tells the paparazzi something, it’ll create trouble, and I’m not sure if the ones she knows are real or charlatans…”

Han Qi listened impatiently and interrupted her, “Forget it. It’s fine if you don’t!”

The agent seemed to sensed that she was upset, and she whispered a few words of advice, and then said, “Do you want to ask Mr. Hong?”

Han Qi was startled.

Agent: “Mr. Hong is connected to the political and economic circles and has a wide range of contacts. He must also know masters in this field. Why don’t you ask him?”

Han Qi frowned and said, “I don’t want to ask him.”

The agent was silent for a moment: “Qiqi, tell me the truth, does he still not know about your pregnancy?”

Han Qi: “…He knows.”

Agent: “Then—”

Han Qi squeezed the phone’s slightly hard, and after a while, she said in a very unwilling tone: “He asked me to come over and talk about it.”

The agent let out a sigh, slightly angry. “What does he mean? Does he just want the child or does he wants you to terminate it?!”

Han Qi paused. “What do you think I should do?”

The agent hesitated. “Qiqi, don’t listen to what I just said. Since Mr. Hong said that you should also be mentally prepared. If you can’t reveal the relationship, and the child’s affair is exposed, it will cause a scandal that will not be good.”

Han Qi didn’t speak, but her agent knew that she understood everything in her heart. She just didn’t want to accept the facts.

The agent sighed. “Think about it!”

Han Qi suddenly said, “Children can’t fight!”

Han Qi bit her lips and finally revealed the truth. “When I went to Thailand three years ago, I met a master. At that time, I just broke up with Zhong Huan, that scummy man. I was pregnant then, but I didn’t tell anyone, including you, but the master saw it at a glance. Not only that, he also told me that the child would bring me great trouble. I didn’t believe it, so I had an abortion after I went back. As a result, my career soon took a nosedive after it. Several contracts that I had signed for films had been broken off by the other party without any reason. At that time, we were both at a loss. You should remember.”

“I don’t want to be reduced from the first line to second line*, let alone be looked down on by that scumbag Zhong Huan who thinks I can’t do it without him, so I went to Thailand again and found the master. The master told me that the fetus I aborted was actually a demon fetus, it’ll continue to follow me and block my luck. If I didn’t come to him, my luck would continue to be bad until I died.”

*First line is basically the top talent of an agency that gets the most resources. To be moved from first to second would be like a demotion (she’ll get less resources and thus less work).

After listening to these words, the agent felt like she had jumped from the entertainment industry to a horror suspense film, but she was powerless to stop what Han Qi had already done so she could only ask, “Then what?”

Han Qi: “Then the master helped me make a magic array that suppressed the child and turn it into a charm, saying that it could bless my future career. In addition, he told me that this year, I would meet a man and conceive my rightful child that will be blessed by the Gods and Buddhas and will bring me great wealth and honor.”

The agent was stunned. “Do you believe him?”

Han Qi asked rhetorically. “Why not? Since he helped me do it last time, my career has indeed taken a big turn. Originally, you know that I have already started to go downhill. Male stars in their early forties can still usher in a second spring, but many actresses will be replaced in their early thirties. However, in the past three years, my career has been smooth. Instead of declining, it has been rising steadily. Even Mr. Hong said that since I became pregnant, his career has improved, saying that it’s because of me. Doesn’t this just prove that the master is right?”

The agent lowered her voice, “But what happened to you recently, and the last time you were on the plane…”

Han Qi said, “The master said that the blessed fetus I am now pregnant with is the reincarnation of Vishnu*, which can bring me infinite blessings, but because of this, there must be many unpredictable evil things around. Even the evil fetus that was suppressed by the master may be tempted by the blessed fetus and could turn into an evil thing again. Sure enough, the master was right again… I suspect that these things that have happened recently may be those evil things that want to attack the child in my stomach!”

*One of the principal deity of Hinduism. Vishnu is the supreme being who creates, protects and transforms the universe.

The agent was silent for a long time, and said carefully, “Qiqi, I don’t doubt your statement, but what are you going to do now? Are you really going to give birth to the child? If Mr. Hong refuses to recognize it after it’s born, what will you do? Let it carry the reputation of not knowing its father? As you said just now, the career of an actress is very short. Do you want to risk losing your career just because of something a master told you three years ago?”

“I don’t know. I just called the master’s assistant. He said that the master is in retreat, and I can’t see him. I’m a mess now…” Han Qi finally couldn’t help it anymore and she started sobbing. “I’m afraid of the things that happened on the plane and in the crew. Just like the master said, it’s because of the child in my stomach. I’m afraid that Mr. Hong is lying to me. I’m afraid that it was the assistant this time, but next time it will be me!”

The agent was also well-informed and experienced. She had encountered many strange things over the years, but this was also the first time she had encountered Han Qi in this situation. She wanted to scold Han Qi for not being sober and being led astray by some foreign master, but things were at this point already so it was useless to scold, and she could only try to find a solution.

“Han Qi, listen to me, don’t think about it. These things are probably just coincidences, not monsters. Now you have to finish filming first. I’ll try to find a more reliable master in this area. Try to communicate with Mr. Hong. If Mr. Hong is willing to get married, it will be great. We can also take advantage of the new drama to announce the happy event, which will make great publicity for you.”

Han Qi said in a low voice, “Mr. Hong won’t agree. I have been trying multiple times to convince him already. He’s smart. It’s impossible for him not to know. He said that when I give birth to the child, he’ll give me a surprise. I dare not tell him what the master said as he’s very suspicious and will definitely investigate, so I won’t be able to hide that abortion three years ago!”

The agent couldn’t help her. At this point, the two of them were in the same boat, and all she could do was comfort her. “Don’t think too much about it. In the next few days, I’ll ask a reliable friend. You can shoot with peace of mind. People in the crew must be razzle right now. Since your assistant had an accident, the paparazzi must probably know as well. Don’t give people any more control.”

After hanging up the phone, Han Qi was still upset. The room booked by the crew for her, and the lead actor was the presidential suite. She originally lived with her assistant, but since her assistant has to undergo surgery at the hospital, she was the only one left. Even if the light was turned on it still felt empty and frightening.

She flipped over and couldn’t sleep. After an afterglow flickered, she seemed to see a small hand coming from behind and resting on her stomach. She screamed in fright and jumped directly from the bed.

On the other side of the two-meter bed was white quilt that naturally had no small hands.

Han Qi’s heart was beating wildly, and she was in shock. She carefully observed her surrounding environment and was slowly calming down. Suddenly, she saw a hand emerged from the side of the bed and grabbed her feet. Han Qi quickly shrank back, rolling out of bed in horror, not caring about putting on shoes and ran out the door in a single breath.

Mom…

Why don’t you want me…?

Han Qi thought she was hearing things, but the voice became clearer and louder and was coming from the bathroom.

Trembling, she stretched out her hand and opened the concealed bathroom door.

Red.

Bright red eyes.

Blood was overflowing from the vanity, making the entire countertop blood red and was dripping down.

There was a mass of flesh lying in the sink, the faucet was turned on halfway and the water slowly flowed out, diluting the blood and spreading the redness everywhere.

Han Qi was stunned and hurriedly step back. Unexpectedly, her feet slipped, and she fell to the ground.

Mom, why don’t you want me?

A resentful and tender voice sounded in her ears, and the accumulated pressure and suspicion for many days made Han Qi couldn’t help but collapse and cry.

“Don’t come here! Don’t come here!”

The mass of flesh had already taken shape and the little hands and feet crawled out of the sink. It fell to the ground, with a plop and blood splattered on Han Qi’s clothes.

“It’s none of my business. Don’t bother me! If it weren’t for Zhong Huan, if it weren’t for that scumbag who refused to disclose our relationship, how could I kill you! It’s all his fault. Why don’t you go to him!”

Han Qi burst into tears. “Do you think I was willing to have an abortion! What woman would be willing to abort her own child, but if I give birth to you, my career would be over! Can’t you reincarnate again. Why do you have to rely on me!”

The mass of flesh had no skin, but it already assumed facial features. On the small head, the organs that look like a mouth opened and closed, but they were not likeable and cute like ordinary babies. On the contrary, it was horrifically terrifying.

It was you who locked my soul in the jade charm and kept me from leaving…

She heard the ball of flesh say.

“You came to haunt me first! I was so entangled by you that I couldn’t help it, so I asked the master to calm you down!”

Mom, you listened to the words of others and wanted me to help you earn money…

Han Qi trembled and said, “Baby, listen to me, I don’t want any luck anymore. I will find the master and send you away. I’ll burn whatever toys you want in the future, and I’ll pay you back. I’ll build you a monument and buy you a feng shui treasure. I will burn lots of paper money every year!”

I don’t want money…

“Then how can you be satisfied? I can’t give you anything. You’re dead. Why don’t you let me go!” Han Qi screamed.

The ball of flesh slowly crawled towards her.

You still have my little brother in your stomach…?

I’m not leaving…

Why can he stay, but I can’t…

Han Qi opened her eyes wide, and her whole body was almost attached to the wall.

“Don’t come over! He’s different from you. He’s a blessed child. He can make his mother rich and wealthy. Only when his mother is well can he give you more things in the future. You are very sensible, you are very good, and you can understand your mother, right?”

Mom, I’m going to kill him…

Can’t let him stay…

“Don’t come, don’t come!”

Han Qi burst into tears. Her body shook like a sieve. Her mouth opened and closed, trying to shout for help, but she couldn’t make a sound.

Hui Yiguang came out after taking a shower and heard someone knocking on the door. She looked through the peephole but saw no one outside. If it was someone else, they may think it was a prank, but Hui Yiguang frowned and opened the door to have a look.

Not a even a fly.

At this moment, a chill came from the back of her neck. It was as if someone was lying on her shoulder and breathing on it.

Hui Yiguang’s heart tensed, and her entire body froze as she slowly turned her head back.

No one.

The jade bracelet on her hand that she was still wearing just a second ago suddenly broke and fell to the ground into several pieces.

There was sound of dripping water above her head and drop of liquid fell on her shoulder.

She turned her head and saw blood slowly dripping on her bathrobe. She raised her head abruptly!

Nothing.

There was no blood on her shoulder and everything she saw just now seemed to be an illusion, except her bracelet did break into several pieces.

Hui Yiguang suddenly remembered something.

Several of their starring roles were distributed on different floors. Han Qi and the male lead naturally had the presidential luxury suite, while she and the second male lead as well as the third female and male leads were in the luxury suite below. Her room number was also the same as Han Qi’s but the only difference was the floors were different. In other words, the room above her should be Han Qi’s room.

Her face turned pale. She bit her finger and thought for a long time and then finally made up her mind and picked up the phone.

At this time, Dong Zhi was giving a tour of the office to Liu Qingbo and Zhang Chong.

In fact, there wasn’t much to tour at all. It was mainly because Liu Qingbo and Zhang Chong was so stunned by the dilapidation of the office that they needed time to adapt.

Zhang Chong boasted, “Compared with here, the Yangcheng office is like a villa! I used to think that place was too unlucky being near a cemetery, but now compared to it, its absolutely a feng shui treasure!”

Liu Qingbo also complained mercilessly, “Isn’t Lucheng economically developed? How come this office is so dilapidated. Did all the money get embezzled by your predecessor?”

Dong Zhi reluctantly spread his hands. “Even if he wanted to be greedy, there’s no money to be greedy for. The main reason is that our business capabilities are relatively general, so the annual allocation is limited. They could only find such a place. In fact, I plan to sell this place, rent a shop, and do business in the front and use the back as an office. It’ll be highly concealed and more convenient. I heard that most of the offices in various places used to be located in restaurants, but then I don’t know why they closed down. I think it’s a pretty good idea.”

Zhang Chong was very interested. “Then what are you going to sell?”

Dong Zhi smiled and said, “Aren’t milk tea shops all over the place now? It’ll be easy to operate without causing a lot of headaches. In the future, it could even become self-sufficient.”

Zhang Chong was a very capable person. He immediately said, “You can’t have tea without dessert. You need bubble waffles. I like rousong flavor.”

Dong Zhi estimated that an electric cake pan wasn’t expensive, so he nodded and said, “Then add an original flavor and a matcha flavor. We can look at how other stores priced it and then have an idea on how much to price our store.”

Zhang Chong said readily: “I’ll take care of it. Have you chosen the shop?”

Dong Zhi said, “Almost. It’s in an urban area, but we have to wait for a reply from the top. Mu Duo said that we have made great contributions this time which pleased the superiors. Hopefully they’ll allocate us more funds and lend us some more money. It’s not difficult to buy the shop first. When this old place is sold, we can pay back the money.”

Liu Qingbo listened to them chatting and talking about opening a shop and doing business, and couldn’t help say, “Do you remember what we do?”

Dong Zhi said innocently, “The office is different from the General Administration and the Branch Office. It’s supposed to be hidden in the city. Where is your office over there?”

Liu Qingbo: “…In a footbath shop.”

Dong Zhi and Zhang Chong laughed out loud causing Liu Qingbo’s face to turn black and blue.

Their footbath shop wasn’t really a footbath shop. It just had the sign. The shop was closed 365 days out of the year to hide from prying eyes and ears. Every time people from other offices hear about the Runzhou office, they would show a mysterious smile.

Liu Qingbo goes in and out of the footbath shop every day and felt on the verge of collapse.

Dong Zhi said, “You’re new here, and you don’t have a place to live yet. You can make do for one night here or you can stay in the place I rented for a few nights, but I only have two rooms there. It’s too crowded for three people so I can only take one. Which one of you wants to stay here and who wants to come with me?”

Liu Qingbo and Zhang Chong looked at each other, and they both said in unison: “I’ll go with you!”

Dong Zhi: “Rock, paper, scissors?”

Liu Qingbo said disdainfully, “As dignified practitioners, it’s better to have a fight!”

As they were still competing, Dong Zhi’s phone rang. When he looked at the caller, he felt it was a strange call. His first reaction was it was probably a scam call, but after thinking about it, perhaps it could be He Jia, so he finally picked up.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Mr. Dong, this is Hui Yiguang. Do you remember me?”

The familiar soft female voice suddenly pulled him back to the night on the rooftop of the hospital.

Dong Zhi was slightly lost for a moment.

“I do.”

How could he forget?

For Hui Yiguang, he still had a huge question mark. He repeatedly asked himself from the bottom of his heart, reminding himself again and again, that he needed to learn from it. He should be more cautious in everything in the future, because as practitioners whose powers were superior to ordinary people, their every decision may affect the lives of others.

“Miss Hui, it’s been a long time since I saw you. I’m curious, why did you take the initiative to call me?”

“Mr. Dong, I’m sorry. If I can, I won’t bother you, but now I’m in a little trouble. Banxia seems to be in the northwest and can’t make it. She said you are in Lucheng, so I’m being very presumptuous and can only bother you.”

“What’s the matter?” Dong Zhi asked.

Hui Yiguang knew that he had never been able to dispel his doubts about her, and she would definitely not take the initiative to call him if there was nothing wrong, so he had a hunch that this time the matter might not be small.

Liu Qingbo and Zhang Chong couldn’t hear what was being said on the other end of the phone, so they could only guess what was going on from Dong Zhi’s expressions.

Ten minutes later, Dong Zhi ended the call and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hui Yiguang, do you remember?”

Liu Qingbo nodded. “What? Is she haunted again? ”

Dong Zhi felt happy. If Hui Yiguang knew what Liu Qingo said she would probably be extremely angry.

“It’s not her, it’s their crew. She’s filming in Lucheng. Something’s going on with the crew. It seemed that there was something unclean. She went to find Chi Banxia, but she’s assigned to the northwest. She’s too far away so she had to come to us saying she wanted to invite us to take a look, for a fee.”

The Special Administration Bureau didn’t allow them to take on private jobs to make money. Many practitioners didn’t want to be bound by this kind of restraint, so they refuse to join them. Before, they hadn’t officially joined so they could still collect remuneration from Hui Yiguang in a private capacity back then, but now they can’t. However, the rules are dead, and people are alive*. Although the money couldn’t be used on themselves, as long as the amount was disclosed, reported to the above, and then used in the construction of the new office, it could be regarded as a confiscation.

*Refers to rules should be applied flexibly according to the particular matter and could be adjusted as long as it doesn’t break the law (AKA bending the rules).

Liu Qingbo frowned. “Why do I feel that every time we have something related to that woman, nothing good comes out of it.”

Dong Zhi shrugged. “Heroes think alike, but she’s generous enough. I estimate that even if the branch allocates funds this time, the amount won’t be very large. If we add the remuneration given by Hui Yiguang, our office environment will greatly improve. Thinking about it like this, isn’t it more motivating?”

Liu Qingbo was a child who didn’t lack money since he was young so he never expected that after he joined the Special Administration Bureau, he would have to bow down for five buckets of rice*.

*(不要为五斗米折腰) Original is Don’t bow down for five buckets of rice. It originally means to not submit to the powerful for an official salary of five buckets of rice. Now it’s a metaphor referring having a backbone and being unyielding to others. || In this case it’s saying since he’s bowing down, he lost his backbone and is submitting for that meager salary of five buckets of rice (i.e. he prefers a better working environment than the shithole they have now).

“When is the appointment?”

“Early tomorrow morning. She said she’ll take us to the crew first and then back to the hotel room.”

Liu Qingbo made a strange expression. “Why go to the hotel room?”

Dong Zhi: “She said she suspects that the problem might be someone in the crew, and Han Qi is staying upstairs.”

Liu Qingbo: “Why is this name so familiar?”

Both of them didn’t chase stars, but Zhang Chong’s eyes lit up.

“Han Qi? Movie Queen Han Qi? I am a fan! Take me, I’m going too!”

It’s because of that that I can’t take you.

Dong Zhi twitched the corner of his mouth. “You’re responsible for staying in the office or going to the police to help follow up on the progress of the Yamamoto case.”

Zhang Chong acted pitiful. “We are old acquaintances, right? Do you have the heart to treat me like this?”

Dong Zhi said solemnly, “You also know that Yamamoto is not dead yet. I’m afraid that he will make a comeback. I have to have someone as experienced and capable as you in charge of the office. I can rest assured if any instructions come from above with you here. If there’s any situation on Mu Duo’s side, you can let us know at any time.”

Zhang Chong was coaxed into a smile by him, and immediately changed his original intention.

“Well, you guys go, I’ll watch this place for you.”

How easily coaxed. Liu Qingbo rolled his eyes again.

Kinky Thoughts:

Taking bets whether or not there’s something suspicious with Hui Yiguang.



Vishnu

One of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.

Vishnu is known as “The Preserver” within the Trimurti, the triple deity of supreme divinity that includes Brahma and Shiva.In Vaishnavism tradition, Vishnu is the supreme being who creates, protects and transforms the universe. In the Shaktism tradition, the Goddess, or Devi, is described as one of the supreme, yet Vishnu is revered along with Shiva and Brahma. A goddess is stated to be the energy and creative power (Shakti) of each, with Lakshmi the equal complementary partner of Vishnu. He is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism.

You can read more about him in the Wikipedia.