However, he had come for Yan Zhang, and now that he knew Yan Zhang was not in serious trouble, he felt relieved. Naturally, he didn't want to be overly solicitous.
He handed the talisman Zhao Yan had given him to Yan Jing and whispered, "Nephew, place this talisman under your father's bed. When your father wakes up tomorrow, have him call me immediately."
He added with a worried tone, "Don't tell your mother! This is about your father's life."
Yan Jing nodded, "Okay, I understand."
"Alright, I'm leaving," Boss Zhou turned and walked towards his car.
As soon as he got into the car, Yan Zhang's wife said coldly, "What did he gossip to you about?"
Yan Jing shook his head, "He didn't say anything."
"Don't listen to him. Your Uncle Zhou doesn't have good intentions. If he truly wanted to help your father, he wouldn't have refused to lend us sixty million back then!"
"Think about how good your father was to him. If it weren't for your father, your Uncle Zhou would still be scooping dung in the toilets, not living such a good life now."
"Now that he's well-off, he sees us struggling and not only refuses to help but also invites some so-called master to cause trouble for us, wanting to ruin our family."
"Your father being so angered is all because of your Uncle Zhou!"
It was fortunate that Boss Zhou had already left in his car. If he had heard this, he might have collapsed from anger.
"Mom, I think you're partly responsible too."
Yan Zhang's wife glared at him, "How dare you! Did I use that money for myself? Sending you abroad to study singing and dancing, none of that was cheap. We spent a lot of money building your reputation in China. And you say I'm responsible!"
"What responsibility do I have? I did it all for this family!"
Yan Jing's expression turned grim, and he felt a sense of suffocation.
He never liked singing or dancing, nor did he want to be a big star. He was only eighteen this year and was forced to study all sorts of things, almost to the point of being unable to breathe.
She always said it was for him, but he knew in his heart that his mother, unable to become a star herself, wanted him to fulfill her dream of stardom.
"I'm going to see my dad," Yan Jing said, unwilling to say more, and turned to leave.
Yan Zhang's wife reached out and grabbed him tightly, prying his hand open. "What are you holding? Give it to me!"
"Mom! What are you doing!"
Before Yan Jing could pull his hand away, his mother had already pried it open.
Seeing a yellow talisman in his hand, Yan Zhang's wife snatched it and questioned, "What is this? Speak!"
Startled by his mother's fierce expression, Yan Jing stammered, "Uncle Zhou asked me to put it under my dad's pillow, saying this talisman could save my dad."
"Nonsense! Your father was angered into a stupor by the master your Uncle Zhou hired! What can this yellow talisman do? Do you really think she's a goddess! Your Uncle Zhou believes in all sorts of nonsense, and you, after studying for so many years, are following suit!"
"I think you're trying to drive me crazy. No one in the Yan family has ever been easy on me!"
Saying that, Yan Zhang's wife crumpled the talisman into a ball and threw it fiercely at her son's face.
Angered, her son clenched his fists tightly.
A gust of cold wind blew, and Yan Jing's cheeks twitched, as if being blown by a hairdryer from side to side.
Yan Jing crouched down and reached for the talisman with his right hand. Before his hand could touch it, his left hand suddenly shot out and gripped his right hand tightly.
Yan Jing looked up, and a strange smile appeared on his face.
He stepped on the talisman and let out a "ge ge ge" laugh.
Although Yan Jing was a boy, his laugh sounded like a woman's.
He lifted his foot and slowly walked into the room.
Yan Zhang's wife went back into the room to check on Yan Zhang, tucked him in, took out pajamas from the closet, and headed for the bathroom.
As she passed the living room, she glanced at Yan Jing.
Yan Jing sat upright on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the television, his face expressionless.
His posture on the sofa was like that of a statue.
"It's almost eleven o'clock. Go to bed early, you have a vocal lesson tomorrow," Yan Zhang's wife reminded him before heading to the bathroom.
Yan Jing did not respond, his eyes still glued to the television.
As he watched, a smile gradually appeared on his expressionless face.
He got up and walked towards the kitchen.
The television broadcast said, "This is the content of my video today. There are techniques to killing pigs in the countryside. Some techniques can make the pig die painlessly, while others can make the pig squeal. It's not just a matter of a single stab, as some people say."
"Finding the right spot is key! Alright! What rural matters do you want to see next? You can subscribe to my channel and follow me. I'm Xiao Long, goodbye everyone!"
He glanced at a knife, and Yan Jing's smile grew wider. He cut his finger, quickly making a small gash.
Seeing that the cut wasn't very deep, Yan Jing looked around and picked up another cleaver.
At midnight, a pale hand suddenly reached out and gripped the doorframe tightly.
Half of a face emerged from the gap in the door, its eyes darting left and right, staring intently into the room. Seeing the two people inside, Yan Jing's smile grew even more pronounced.
His hand slowly loosened, and he sat down by the door, the two cleavers in his hands rubbing together,
making a crisp "kacha kacha" sound of blades scraping.
A cold wind blew the large chandelier in the room, making it sway back and forth like a pendulum ride at an amusement park.
Yan Zhang's wife shivered from the cold and opened her eyes.
Drowsily, she reached out to grab her blanket, only to find it missing.
She opened her eyes and looked under the bed, realizing her blanket had fallen off.
She turned and grabbed the blanket, pulling it up onto the bed and tucking it in. Just as she was about to go back to sleep, she noticed that the closed door had been half-opened.
The wind outside blew the curtains, making them fly towards the ceiling.
Yan Zhang's wife got out of bed and first closed the door.
She walked to the window and pulled the curtains shut to the left.
She grabbed the window and, with a snap, closed it.
Just as she was about to turn back to sleep,
she suddenly saw a dark shadow reflected in the windowpane.
At first, she frowned in confusion, thinking she was seeing things. She slowly leaned closer to look.
The dark shadow had been next to the door, but when she looked again, it was suddenly not far behind her.
Seeing the shadow with its back to her, she was terrified and immediately turned around.
When she saw it was her son, Yan Jing, she became angry, "You're not sleeping at this hour, are you trying to court death!"
Saying that, she raised her hand and pushed Yan Jing's back.
With that push, she instantly realized something was wrong.
Despite using all her strength, she couldn't push him away.
Yan Jing, with his back to her, suddenly turned his head ninety degrees, his face covered in knife wounds, and let out a series of eerie "ge ge ge ge" laughs.