CH 029

TL: Moonlit

A few days later, the Public Relations Manager sent the investigation results to Lin Hanchuan.

After reading it, Lin Hanchuan couldn’t help but laugh and cry.

People in the industry believed that Mother Yan was motivated by money and ran away with a large fortune. However, the truth was that she had been deceived and lost all her money. She didn’t dare to appear in front of Yan Minghui and secretly returned to her hometown to hide.

The swindler who took away five billion yuan was none other than the private financial planner who had gained the trust of Yan Minghui and his mother.

The manager’s friend was reliable, and he even traced the financial planner’s purchase of a ticket to go abroad.

Lin Hanchuan looked at the photo of Mother Yan sitting at the entrance of a dusty rural courtyard. Apart from her still fair skin, there was no resemblance to her past self.

Emaciated, aged, and timid, she resembled a frightened bird.

[“Why didn’t she report the scam since she was cheated out of her money?”] System 001 suddenly regained its consciousness and asked.

Lin Hanchuan was already used to the unpredictable nature of System 001, so he only curled his lips and replied, [“Because she’s afraid.”]

If she reported the scam, Mother Yan would be exposed to the public eye and torn apart by the people associated with Yanshi Film Industry. That’s why she didn’t dare.

[“She was spoiled by a life of luxury and has long been detached from the life of an ordinary person,”] Lin Hanchuan put down the photo and spoke indifferently. [“With Yan Minghui around, her first reaction to any trouble was to escape.”]

Now that Yan Minghui was no longer there, but the habits Mother Yan had developed over the years were not so easily changed.

Lin Hanchuan dialed the police hotline directly.

Due to the large amount involved, the case received significant attention from the police, and it quickly caused a stir online.

“Five billion… I can’t believe I’m lost for words.”

“So this is the world of the rich. I can’t even dare to imagine it.”

“When will I have 5 billion that I can be scammed out of? Or even 50 million, or 5 million…”

“So foolish, yet so wealthy.”

“Isn’t she the wife of the CEO of Yanshi Film Industry? The man evades taxes and embezzles 20 billion, while the woman gets scammed out of 5 billion. It’s true that one shouldn’t be greedy with their own money, as they can’t hold onto it.”

“I only care about whether the money can be recovered. Although it’s not my 5 billion, it hurts my heart.”

Soon, the resourceful netizens dug up all the details about the Yan family’s situation. After learning about their story, the netizens were left speechless and couldn’t help but sigh.

“Old people always talk about luck, and I used to not believe it, but now I do.”

“The Yan family’s luck has truly run out. They finally had a talented and capable son, but they forced him to leave home and cut off their last hope.”

Lin Hanchuan looked at the comments online, and suddenly asked, [“So, does luck really exist in this world?”]

System 001 instantly replied, [“Of course it does.”]

[“In every story, there are protagonists who are the children of the world. They carry the luck of the entire world. Those who are close to them will live a smooth life, while those who oppose them will meet a tragic end. This applies to every world,”] the system’s voice slightly raised, sounding somewhat excited. [“As long as we can gain a little bit of their luck, it will be enough to sustain my basic operations.”]

Lin Hanchuan understood that what 001 referred to as plot points could be translated as luck.

[“By completing the plot, we can obtain some luck. The higher the completion rate of the plot, the more luck we can acquire,”] after saying this, 001 slyly put eye drops into Lin Hanchuan’s eyes, [“So you must follow the plot properly, or else you won’t get any luck!”]

Lin Hanchuan simply pretended not to hear and continued, [“Is your operating energy insufficient?”]

Since being bound by 001, it often went into idle and shutdown states. Lin Hanchuan had wondered before why even the beginner NPCs in the first world frequently disconnected, which was quite unfriendly to new players.

If it was because 001’s energy was insufficient to sustain daily operations, then everything would make sense.

Speaking of this, 001 also seemed quite distressed, and its voice carried a dejected tone. [“My energy requirements are too high, twice as much as my factory settings. The reserves of energy were not enough, so I had to enter hibernation mode to reduce consumption.”]

After sorting out everything, Lin Hanchuan confirmed his thoughts and smiled, [“Don’t worry, soon you’ll have enough energy.”]

001 seemed a bit puzzled, [“With the plot all messed up now, where should we go to collect plot points? You’re not going to find Qiu Hongguang again to rekindle your past relationship, are you?”]

Lin Hanchuan simply smiled and had no intention of explaining.

001, hmm, sniff, sniff. I know I can’t ask anything, so I’ll just mute and shrink back.

The scammer financial advisor went abroad, making it difficult to track him down. The police first brought Mother Yan to the police station for investigation. Mother Yan had never experienced such a situation before, and she panicked. She was like a helpless doddering plant, clinging to the nearest big tree.

At Mother Yan’s request, everything was handed over to Lin Hanchuan to handle.

Yan’s grand mansion had already been sold, and Lin Hanchuan directly bought her a small two-bedroom apartment for temporary residence.

When Mother Yan entered the small house, she revealed her undisguised disdain, saying, “You expect me to live in such a shabby and small place?”

Lin Hanchuan glanced back at her, and Mother Yan immediately dared not speak. It dawned on her that he was no longer the obedient and filial son she once knew.

“I’ll give you a monthly allowance of 20,000, and apart from that, I won’t give you anything else.” Lin Hanchuan handed her a card that he had prepared in advance. “It will be deposited into the card on the 1st of every month.”

Only 20,000. Mother Yan didn’t reach out to take it.

Lin Hanchuan didn’t mind and placed the bank card on the table in the living room. “Besides that, I won’t give you any more money.”

This two-bedroom apartment was located near the city center, with convenient transportation and living conditions. With 20,000 yuan per month, it was more than enough. Lin Hanchuan had done everything he could, and he didn’t look at Mother Yan as he turned and left.

In the instant he was about to leave, Mother Yan suddenly called out to him, “Weilou…”

Lin Hanchuan paused.

Many words were stuck in Mother Yan’s throat, and finally, she said, “20,000 is not enough for me to buy a handbag…”

Lin Hanchuan chuckled and shook his head. He turned around and walked away, regardless of how Mother Yan called after him, without stopping.

Watching Lin Hanchuan’s cold figure, Mother Yan suddenly sat on the sofa. She didn’t know how she had come to this point, as if in the previous second, she still had a handsome and wealthy husband and a filial and obedient son. She was the most beautiful, eye-catching, and enviable lady in the Wives Club.

Tears welled up in Mother Yan’s eyes in this cramped and tiny house.

She didn’t even know what had happened to make her own biological son so indifferent towards her.

Lin Hanchuan walked briskly, not holding any expectations for Yan Weilou’s parents. The only source of warmth that he could feel came from Ran Xing, who genuinely cared for him.

The filming progress of Ran Xing’s art film was much faster than «Wukong». The modern urban story didn’t require any special effects, so even though the two films started shooting several months apart, their release dates were almost the same.

When «Wukong» was first released, apart from Ran Xing’s small group of fans, almost no one had high expectations for the movie.

Subverting traditional mythology, heavy use of special effects, original screenplay, and starring a popular celebrity… to audiences who had suffered from a string of bad movies, this was undoubtedly another potential candidate for a terrible film.

“Is this how our traditional culture is being ruined in our country? One star is enough.”

“I’m a prophet, and I predict that the best part of this movie is the trailer.”

“I wanted to bring my elderly parents to see familiar characters and the special effects, but when I read the plot synopsis, apart from the character names, there is no connection to the characters they are familiar with.”

“I’m a Ran Xing fan, and I can’t understand why he would take on this kind of movie. As soon as I saw the production and distribution company, Starlight Entertainment, I understood. Trashy small companies shouldn’t make movies. Don’t waste our star’s acting skills.”

There were also industry professionals who maintained a neutral stance.

“I carefully looked at the creative team of this movie, including the lead actor Ran Xing. Their acting skills are at least qualified. But when I saw the behind-the-scenes team, I was stunned. Zhou Xishan? Ye Wenjun? The music director, cinematographer, action director…all renowned individuals. Then I looked at the executive producer, Yan Weilou… I changed my mind. With a production team like this, as long as the script isn’t beyond redemption, the movie won’t be bad. And considering Yan Weilou’s reputation as an investment genius in the industry, I suddenly have high expectations for this movie. I believe he won’t let me down.”

Shortly after this post was posted, people started accusing him of taking money for advertising and jokingly asking for their share of the money.

Putting down his phone, the film critic made a clucking sound and eagerly awaited the movie’s release to give it a proper review. He had an idea and picked up his phone again, sharing a koi fish post on his social media.

He hoped that the movie would live up to expectations and that he wouldn’t end up being embarrassed.

Amid the anticipation of gossiping netizens, Ran Xing fans, and various onlookers, «Wukong» finally premiered.

Both Lin Hanchuan and Ran Xing wore masks and bought tickets like regular moviegoers, blending into the crowd of premiere attendees.

“What if they don’t like it and recognize me later? What if they throw rotten eggs at me?” Ran Xing covered himself from head to toe, leaving only his bright and lively eyes exposed.

Lin Hanchuan wordlessly handed him a cola.

Ran Xing nervously bit the straw, while on the big screen, the logo of the film soared across, signifying the official start of the movie. Ran Xing had already watched the final edited version with Lin Hanchuan before, so he didn’t watch the movie itself but instead discreetly observed the expressions of the people around him.

Meanwhile, Lin Hanchuan focused intently on the big screen.

Previously, Lin Hanchuan rarely indulged in entertainment, and his relaxation methods were clichéd and mundane. Although his company owned a film and television production company, his knowledge of movies was limited.

In this world, Lin Hanchuan felt the charm of movies.

Creating a world out of thin air, bringing forth numerous diverse characters, immersing the audience in it, and briefly experiencing a tale of love, hate, and passion in the ephemeral realm of fiction—this was the romantic essence of filmmaking.

Unbeknownst to them, the movie ended, and the lights in the theater brightened.

No one moved or spoke, until the cinema staff sensed something amiss and walked in, looking at the silent crowd gazing at the cast and crew credits, and listening to the calm yet majestic end credits song. Perplexed, the staff member said, “The movie has ended, everyone can leave in an orderly manner.”

After a few seconds of silence, the audience stood up and left. In the surge of people, someone uttered a question.

“Did we really make this movie?”