"Qi Rui, not everyone saying the sa thing makes it true. We are police officers, and we judge the truth based on evidence,"
Pausing for a mont, Captain Zhang’s brow furrowed with complexity, "What I want to tell you is, the more people repeat sothing, the more convinced and adamant they beco, the more it deserves our caution. The human heart is unpredictable; you can never imagine what kind of truth is hiding behind an event. When you truly uncover it, the last page of the truth may be so filthy that it haunts you for the rest of your life."
"I got sick, sick because of this place, and now I can’t go back," Captain Zhang said, his eyes suddenly reddening as he spoke, but the young officer didn’t see it. Captain Zhang turned his head away, his pupils reflecting the leaden-colored building.
"Is it... that case?"
The next second, as the words of the young officer fell, Captain Zhang’s pupils suddenly constricted.
...
Song Yan and Lu Ji rushed back to the classroom, but it had already been taken over by several police officers. Caution tape had been strung up outside the door, and a female officer was squatting down, taking photographs in front of the fallen window.
Director Ding and the others were also startled by the sudden turn of events and, after being questioned by the police, were temporarily arranged to rest in a classroom.
Looking around, Pei Qiuyu was nowhere to be seen, and Xia Xiuyan had also disappeared.
Song Yan tentatively asked if they would continue filming the movie, but Director Ding simply shook his head. His face was pale, offering no concrete answer.
"This movie really is cursed; so many things have happened, not to ntion... our own people," a crew mber squatting in the corner began to say but couldn’t continue, curling up into a ball, terrified out of his wits.
This instantly piqued the curiosity of Song Yan and Lu Ji. It seed that other mishaps had occurred during their absence.
"What happened? Our own who?" Lu Ji asked cautiously.
"Oh my, you guys don’t know yet? It’s... our own people, Xiao Wu, and... and Luo Zhaoqing, Tang Cui, they... they’ve all disappeared, really disappeared!" The crew mber, wearing a duckbill hat, couldn’t hide the fear on his face, "At first, the crew thought the school was playing tricks, grabbing them, but the police said there was nothing of the sort!"
"Several full-grown people, alive without a trace, dead without a body, I an... what does this tell you?!"
"There’s been such an incident?" Song Yan feigned terror to keep up the act, "This sounds really sinister."
"Oh gosh, indeed, Ms. Zhao was saying earlier, maybe we chose an inauspicious day to start shooting and offended soone, soone who’s co to settle scores," the crew mber shivered.
"Offended who?" Song Yan asked knowingly.
"Who else, don’t you know what we’re filming? The Beast Master of the Mountain Village. That... that male teacher, I heard he ended up hanging himself, committing suicide out of fear of punishnt." The man gestured a few tis around his neck but stopped talking after seeing Director Ding giving him a look, just kept heaving sighs, seemingly aware they had brought trouble upon themselves.
"They’re here! They’ve arrived!"
Soone outside shouted, and the crowd inside the classroom began to stir. "Who’s arrived?" Director Ding squeezed forward, longing for so good news at this point.
"Ms. Shengnan is here! She’s already at the school," announced the previously sharp-tongued woman, who was Sun Shengnan’s assistant.
Director Ding’s pale face gradually flushed with relief as he smacked his palm hard, "That’s great! With Ms. Shengnan here, today’s problems will be easier to handle. Ms. Shengnan has a big reputation; the school won’t ntion a thing, and even the town won’t dare to ss with her, the police will quickly get us all sorted out."
In another classroom, at the front by the lectern, stood a woman in a plain coat and white woolen sweater.
The woman wasn’t very old, around forty, with light makeup on her face, exuding an intellectual and graceful aura with her every move.
"Ms. Shengnan, that’s the whole story. Tang Ya Ling is dead, all of us saw it, and the police..."
"I understand," the woman said, her overly sharp eyebrows unable to hide her unique aura, "I’m asking you, Nie Hexiang is dead, dead beyond any doubt, right?"
"Yes, yes, she’s dead, and..." The woman reporting seed to hesitate, about to speak several tis but stopping herself.
"Speak the truth!"
"That’s how it is, I suspect the police are bluffing. They must know that you’re back, so they’re looking for an excuse to drive you away, but the excuse they’ve co up with is too feeble. They actually said Nie Hexiang didn’t die from a fall, that she had died the day before. Isn’t that odd?"
Sun Shengnan frowned suddenly, "The police wouldn’t be so ridiculous. Find soone from the hospital to ask, get to the first few ergency responders who arrived at the scene. It doesn’t matter if it costs more money, you must get to the bottom of this."
"Got it, Ms. Shengnan."
"Also, did you find the person I asked you to look for?"
"Found her, she’s outside."
"Let her in, and you go out. Rember, don’t let anyone disturb us. If the police co to ask questions, help hold them off."
After acknowledging, the woman who had been speaking left, and shortly afterward, a younger woman ca in. It was obvious she had been crying, with red eyes and smudged makeup from her thick tears, walking unsteadily, as if in a daze.
"Xia Xiuyan, don’t take Nie Hexiang’s death too hard. Everyone has their fate, and wealth is decided by heaven. You still have your own path to follow," Sun Shengnan said, attempting to console her.
Hearing Sun Shengnan’s voice, the dazed Xia Xiuyan beca sowhat more alert. She shook her head vigorously, "No, no, Ms. Shengnan, I can’t act anymore. I won’t do this film. I’m scared, I’m terrified!!"
"What’s there to be scared of? It’s just an accident!"
"No, Azhen is dead, Nie Hexiang is dead too, this isn’t an accident, it’s retribution, it’s retribution! I should have listened to Nie Hexiang, she had advised not to co back, I should have listened to her, woo woo~~ I should have heeded her advice!" Xia Xiuyan said, breaking down in tears once more.
"Slap!"
After a loud slap, Xia Xiuyan lost her balance and fell to the ground, "You fool! What retribution, where is the retribution? We’re ridding the people of a scourge!"
Clutching her face, Xia Xiuyan curled up, with the right side of her face swelling instantaneously, "But Teacher Wang didn’t do anything to us..."
"He didn’t then, but could you guarantee he wouldn’t in the future?"
"A man willing to give up a comfortable city life to co to this godforsaken place to teach, to say he has no dirty thoughts, would you believe that?"
"We haven’t done anything wrong. He deserved to die. We were rely preventing trouble before it happened. We saved those female students. They should be thankful to us! It was us who helped them recognize the beast’s true colors in advance!"
"Xia Xiuyan, let tell you, I can make you a star, but I can also ruin you. Later, the police will definitely co to question you, and if you dare to talk nonsense, well, don’t bla for being heartless!"
Perhaps intimidated by Sun Shengnan’s forceful deanor, Xia Xiuyan, who had been so strong in front of Nie Hexiang, now didn’t dare to even breathe loudly. He was all too aware of the woman’s tactics in front of him, knowing that with just a little maneuvering, she could destroy him completely.
Seeing that her intimidation had achieved its goal, Sun Shengnan softened and moved forward to help the frightened Xia Xiuyan up, her tone becoming unusually gentle, "The filming must go on. I know about your relationship with Nie Hexiang, so take her salary along with yours."
"As long as you follow and do well, I won’t mistreat you. Once our film becos popular, as the lead actress, you’ll get whatever you want. All those rich second-generation kids will be falling over themselves to court you. Later on, sis will help you choose soone stupid with lots of money. Endure for a few years, then divorce him, and the money you’ll get will be enough to keep you comfortable for life."
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