Lin Xingwan stared at her phone screen, hesitating to answer the call.
Perhaps it was the sheer volume of recent events, but she felt a profound sense of exhaustion, both mentally and physically.
Her only desire at this moment was to hide away with Zhou Jinbai in a place unknown to anyone, free from schemes and revenge, living a life of peace and happiness.
"Why aren't you answering the phone?" Zhou Jinbai's gaze fell on Lin Xingwan, his eyes filled with concern. Her current dazed state pained him deeply.
Despite consulting numerous doctors, who could only diagnose her physical injuries, they were powerless against her persistent, day-by-day depression.
Zhou Jinbai had once asked Lin Xingwan why she was unhappy.
She had attributed it to being frightened, an explanation Zhou Jinbai found plausible. After all, so much had happened to her since she had been with him.
Often, Zhou Jinbai questioned himself. Had he led Lin Xingwan astray from her original path, drawing her into another world, unknown and fraught with danger? Was he right to do so?
Yet, the thought of losing her was far worse than the risk. He wanted her by his side, always.
Lin Xingwan finally answered the call, her voice flat. "Hello?"
On the other end, Jiang Wenyuan's anxious voice came through. "Boss, something's happened at Top Peak Entertainment. This morning, the police came and arrested many of our actors, claiming the company was involved in drug abuse. The test results have all come back positive. Ge Xuan Si, in particular, has been dropped by all production teams except for the drama 'Miracle,' which our company invested in. Even the official 'Immortal Path' is planning to use AI to replace Ge Xuan Si's face with another male celebrity's. Many investors have withdrawn their funding. If this continues, our company won't last much longer."
Jiang Wenyuan's usual demeanor was gentle, and Lin Xingwan rarely heard such urgency in his voice.
"Alright, I understand. I'll be back immediately. But before I see you, no matter what the police ask, you don't need to answer." Lin Xingwan hadn't managed the company's affairs since the previous King of Gamblers' night.
She had only learned from Liu Mengqin and Xue Manting's conversation that Ge Xuan Si had become the new King of Gamblers that night. In a bizarre twist, Ge Xuan Si was revealed to be the son of the previous King of Gamblers, He Guangqian.
Years ago, the King of Gamblers had lost everything valuable in his family due to his gambling. In a desperate gamble, he had even wagered and lost his wife. Heartbroken and despairing, Ge Xuan Si's mother had left with him.
Remarkably, in a twist of fate, Ge Xuan Si had become an opponent to his own father at the King of Gamblers' night and had even won against him. However, Ge Xuan Si had donated all his winnings to charity!
"What happened with the company?" Zhou Jinbai asked, noticing Lin Xingwan's increasingly grim expression.
Lin Xingwan recounted the conversation she'd just had with Jiang Wenyuan.
"I'll have someone handle this right away. Don't worry, everything will be fine," Zhou Jinbai said, his brow furrowed. He had witnessed his fair share of dirty and despicable dealings. The situation at Top Peak Entertainment was clearly a setup. The person behind it was clever, choosing to create chaos in their absence.
"I'll go handle it. If someone wants to target Top Peak Entertainment, we'll see who's who," Lin Xingwan declared, a chilling coldness in her voice.
Zhou Jinbai looked at the woman beside him, noticing how much she had changed. In the past, when faced with difficulties, she would also take action, but he could sense her nervousness. It was a forced bravery that evoked a strong desire to protect her. Now, while still putting on a brave face, Zhou Jinbai felt a sense of desperate resolve.
"You're still injured, and the doctor said you need rest," Zhou Jinbai replied.
"It's alright. If I keep worrying about things over there, my injuries won't heal," Lin Xingwan said, her gaze fixed on Zhou Jinbai. "I know you have the ability to solve many problems for me, but I also want to rely on my own strength to do what I want to do."
Ultimately, Zhou Jinbai agreed.
The private jet flew from the island in Yanjing to Rongcheng. Three hours later, they arrived at the Rongcheng Police Station.
As Lin Xingwan stepped out of the car, she saw a crowd of distraught fans blocking all the entrances. Ge Xuan Si, a star at the peak of his career, and the other popular artists cultivated by Top Peak Entertainment, now embroiled in such a scandal, had sent fans into a frenzy of anger and despair. Even with staff managing the order, Lin Xingwan and her companions had to push their way through.
Upon reaching the interrogation room, they saw many familiar faces sitting on chairs, their anxious eyes fixed on Lin Xingwan. Ge Xuan Si, his handsome face etched with sharp features, lowered his head in shame upon seeing her.
Jiang Wenyuan held Yan Yuxi's hand, comforting her. Yan Yuxi's delicate face was pale. After whispering something to Yan Yuxi, Jiang Wenyuan released her hand and walked towards Lin Xingwan.
"Boss," Jiang Wenyuan explained to Lin Xingwan, "these are the employees whose test results came back positive. They all drank the mung bean soup prepared by the company this morning."
Jiang Wenyuan's words were concise, and Lin Xingwan, not foolish, understood the problem lay with the mung bean soup.
"The mung bean soup was made by the company's cook, right?" Lin Xingwan asked.
"Yes. However, after making the mung bean soup this morning, the cook disappeared. We can't reach her no matter how we try."
"Alright, I understand." Lin Xingwan nodded and walked over to Bai Xiao.
Although Bai Xiao knew Top Peak Entertainment had been framed, as the director, he couldn't release these people even if he knew the truth.
"Ms. Lin, according to the relevant provisions of our country's law, these individuals should be detained and fined." Bai Xiao looked at Lin Xingwan's haggard face and sighed inwardly, wondering why all these misfortunes befell his sister-in-law. Even he, a grown man, couldn't bear the string of bad news.
"Can test results be wrong?" Lin Xingwan asked, looking at Bai Xiao's upright demeanor. She didn't expect him to bend the rules; everyone had their position, and if Bai Xiao showed favoritism, he would lose the public's trust.
"No result is one hundred percent correct, but the error rate for test reports has not been high so far," Bai Xiao replied.
"Alright, I understand. These people from our company will wait here for the final test results, but they are not being detained."
Bai Xiao couldn't comprehend Lin Xingwan's words. Hadn't the test results already been made public? They had arrested people after all, knowing the results.
"When a group of people engages in such behavior in public, the entire matter is highly suspicious. Director Bai, won't you investigate thoroughly?" Zhou Jinbai stood beside Lin Xingwan, his tall figure making her appear even more delicate and fragile.
"Alright, I'll give you at most one day. If you can't produce evidence within that time, then these people will have a criminal record."
After receiving Bai Xiao's assurance, Lin Xingwan walked over to Ge Xuan Si and the others.
"I'm sorry for causing trouble again." Ge Xuan Si looked at Lin Xingwan's alarmingly thin appearance and felt like a complete failure, only capable of causing her more problems.
"Stay here and behave. I won't let anything happen to you," Lin Xingwan said, patting Ge Xuan Si's shoulder.
Yan Yuxi, seeing Lin Xingwan's weak and exhausted face, momentarily forgot her own predicament and couldn't help but express her concern. "Boss, this is a foolish mistake made by all of us. If we can't resolve it, it's fine; we can slowly rebuild. But your health, please, don't let it collapse."
"I know, thank you." Lin Xingwan then looked at Zhou Jinbai. "Let's go."
"Alright." Zhou Jinbai supported Lin Xingwan as they walked towards a different, safer exit.
In the car, Zhou Jinbai was constantly on the phone with his subordinates. From their conversation, Lin Xingwan overheard some very disturbing words. For instance, they had learned about the cook's family situation. She had a daughter with leukemia, and the medical expenses had drained her family's savings, with long-overdue hospital bills. However, yesterday, someone had paid two million yuan for her daughter's treatment, and this morning, the cook had put something into the mung bean soup they made. Furthermore, Zhou Jinbai's subordinate had found the cook's body. She had committed suicide by drinking pesticide less than three hundred meters from her daughter's hospital. It had only been a little over four hours since the incident that morning.
"Have you found out who paid their medical expenses?" Lin Xingwan asked, looking at Zhou Jinbai's somber expression.
"The person who paid used cash and wore a mask, so we couldn't find any useful information. Don't worry, I'll handle this. You should go back and rest well."
Zhou Jinbai didn't know how many times he had repeated those words. He felt as though this woman was becoming less and less reliant on him. After speaking, he cupped Lin Xingwan's face and kissed her forehead.
Suddenly, a sharp pain, like a needle prick, pierced his chest. The pain was brief but intense, and Zhou Jinbai's face contorted in agony. He then began to cough violently.
Lin Xingwan quickly patted his back. Zhou Jinbai tried to explain between coughs, "It's nothing... *cough cough*... maybe I haven't been resting enough lately... *cough cough*..."
But as Zhou Jinbai finished speaking, Lin Xingwan saw a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. In that moment, a chilling sensation washed over her, as if all her strength had been drained. She leaned weakly against Zhou Jinbai's shoulder.
"I want to go back and rest," Lin Xingwan said weakly.
"Alright, when we get back, I'll help you apply some medicine, and then you can rest."
Soon, the car arrived at Lin Xingwan's apartment. She lay on the bed, closing her eyes to rest, while Zhou Jinbai gently applied medicine to her. After the medicine was applied, Lin Xingwan clung to Zhou Jinbai, wanting him to sleep with her. Zhou Jinbai reluctantly agreed to her request. However, once he fell asleep, Lin Xingwan slowly opened her eyes, endured the pain in her waist, and quietly left the room.
Half an hour later.
A villa on a mountaintop.
When Lin Xingwan appeared in Duan Muxing's sight, he was playing chess with Monk Burluan. Duan Muxing didn't seem surprised by her arrival at all.
"You're here earlier than I expected," Duan Muxing said, placing a black piece with his slender fingers. Monk Burluan's face showed frustration. Their game had been going on since that morning, and Monk Burluan hadn't won a single round against Duan Muxing. A look of distress and annoyance had appeared on Monk Burluan's handsome face.
"You knew I would come?" Lin Xingwan asked, surprised, looking at Duan Muxing. His unnaturally pale face was as calm as a tranquil lake under the moonlight, undisturbed.
"I can help you resolve the difficulties Top Peak Entertainment is facing, but you keep going back on your promises. Lin Xingwan, you should know that Zhou Jinbai's health is deteriorating." Duan Muxing finally cast a languid gaze at Lin Xingwan, his eyes filled with calculation.
"I came to see you today because of this. Duan Muxing, I want to make a deal with you." Lin Xingwan had lost so much weight recently that her bright, watery eyes were even more captivating.
"A deal? What do you think you have to trade with me?" Duan Muxing found the woman in front of him adorable, but in another sense, foolish!
"Myself!" Lin Xingwan took a deep breath. "Although I don't know what meaning my existence holds for you, I also know that I am a crucial piece. As long as you agree to my request, I will do whatever you want me to do." Compared to wealth, she couldn't compare to Duan Muxing; in terms of intelligence, she was no match for him. Now, Lin Xingwan could only rely on her courage to take a gamble! She had no other choice.
Duan Muxing picked up a chess piece and played with it in his palm. His bright eyes sparkled like iridescent glass beads, captivating to behold. After a long silence, Duan Muxing spoke, "Tell me, what is your request."